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Tuesday, 17 November 2009
Paying to use cars, not to own them
The scheme, called the "kilometerheffing" (simply "kilometer charge"), boils down to a GPS system in cars which will record how much they are driven, where and when. The intention is that driving on busy roads in the rush hour will cost more than driving on less busy roads at other times. It is intended to be a revenue neutral change to the tax on motorists, so that 60% of drivers will see their costs drop. Of course, if people drive less, the overall amount of tax paid to the government by drivers will drop. The proposal is nevertheless a bit controversial with some drivers, especially those who drive long distances at present.
There are also advantages in reduction of traffic jams and CO2 emissions.
Car ownership in the Netherlands is already lower than it might have been due to policies which make alternatives more attractive. It's difficult to know whether this will result in more or fewer people owning cars, but it should certainly help to increase the cycling rate in what is already the world's top cycling nation.
The Fietsberaad expect cycle usage to grow by 10% due to the kilometerheffing.
It didn't pass. The Netherlands is still waiting or the kilometerheffing. However, so far as cycling is concerned, carrots are more important than sticks.
It's also covered here and here
18 comments:
- neil said...
While I like the idea of charging for car use, I am not a fan of this kind of charging - mostly because of the privacy issues. Any GPS based system has privacy issues (fears if not actual issues). I am surprised the Dutch would accept that sort of invasion of privacy.
But it is good they are working to discourage car use.
Any idea why not fuel duty and congestion charging?
- 17 November 2009 at 12:04
- Frits B said...
Neil: Fuel duty and congestion charging were too simple obviously. This is the next concept in a row for over 20 years and like its predecessors it is doomed to fail. The cost is enormous, the system's complexity ditto, the government has a history of failing at this kind of projects, parliament hasn't had a chance to look the plans over, and car users are beginning to understand that they will be under constant supervision and have to pay a lot more than before. Finally, David hasn't quite understood that he's the one who is also going to pay for this nightmare; until now only drivers paid for the use of roads but to cover the cost a general extra tax, some kind of poll tax, will be levied. There will be elections shortly so it remains to be seen what the outcome will be.
- 17 November 2009 at 13:05
- James said...
Neil, new technology is emerging whereby you can charge using GPS systems without invading privacy. Here in Toronto we have a startup company called "Skymeter Corp" who has build such a device.
Conforming to privacy laws, it keeps all of the GPS logs on the device itself - the data will never leave the device. The device will then calculate the charge and will use cellular signals to send the cost to bill the client (as opposed to sending the GPS logs).
The devices apparently are tamper proof and can detect if they have been compromised.
This system can also be used to pay for parking and for pay-per-use insurance.
It's still new technology but the possibilities it presents are profound.
I am not affiliated with the company, but I have been in touch with the founder to see how the technology can be used here in Toronto to reduce congestion and to fund better bicycling infrastructure.
- 17 November 2009 at 14:41
- David Earl said...
When I heard this on the news yesterday I thought 'good idea', but then on reflection, I think actually fuel tax is a better option: it is much easier to collect and doesn't have any privacy issues; it directly reflects the efficiency of the vehicle; and also the driver's driving for economy. It isn't quite so "in your face", in that it is absorbed in the price - but that could be dealt with; and of course it is too low to reflect the environmental and social damage. In the UK though, if anyone were to try to put up prices substantially or indeed propose a separate tax, it would be a sure fire election loser, orchestrated by the daily Mail no doubt, who don't give a damn about burning up the earth.
- 17 November 2009 at 15:36
- David Hembrow said...
Frits: I guess you'll be one of those voting against. Fair enough. This is a democracy, after all. From my point of view, I hope the Dutch public get behind this, but perhaps they will not.
I remain hopeful about this scheme. Not because I think it will be magically trouble free, but because of the potential for a lot of benefits.
Relative to Britain, the government here are quite amazingly efficient. It gives me hope that if any country can make this work, the Netherlands stands a very good chance in doing so.
The threat of a tax doesn't worry me much. It's not part of the plans, and I don't see that it has to become so. There will be costs due to setting the system up and maintaining it, but if successful the kilometerheffing also gives the government a chance to make savings - for instance in the huge costs of road construction and maintenance.
- 17 November 2009 at 15:48
- David Hembrow said...
David: I agree that simple would be better. However, the kilometerheffing is supposed to help to solve problems of congestion on roads by having rates which vary depending on where and when you drive. A fuel tax obviously couldn't do this.
Also, a problem with just having a higher fuel tax here is that the Netherlands is not an island. People can drive to Germany or Belgium to fill up. If the price was considerably different, I suspect this might become quite common, and possibly it would could generate a whole new industry of smuggling fuel, and people might even stockpile cheap fuel at home - which is a considerable danger.
It is unfortunate that the "fuel price escalator" failed in the UK, as it's somewhere that this could have worked. However, I think it was inevitable that it did fail as the average motorist saw no reasonable alternative to driving. Public transport is expensive and crowded in the UK and cycling isn't attractive.
As public transport is very much cheaper here, and cycling is already an attractive option, it should be easier to introduce this scheme than in the UK.
- 17 November 2009 at 16:00
- James said...
David, the fuel tax will become useless in the near future when electric cars become a reality.
This would be a positive step for the environment, but you still need to pay for the roads. Governments will need to find a better way to raise funding for roads in the post fuel-tax era.
- 17 November 2009 at 16:37
- Frits B said...
David H: Voting against it is not an option, parliament will have the last say. What I'm most concerned about is the horrible track record of Dutch government when it comes to big projects. Always needlessly complicated, always way over time and always at least twice as expensive as planned. Look at the Betuwelijn, the high speed train, the North/South metro in Amsterdam, the problems with Belastingdienst (in English?). Even now the minister may have announced this plan but you may have noted that it will be up to the next government to implement it. If the new political situation allows it ...
As for personal reasons, I ditched my last car 30 years ago, don't have a driving licence anymore. I simply chose to live at a distance of 10 minutes walking to my workplace. Compact towns can be a boon. And I also don't ride a bicycle, maybe again after the fourth round of eye surgery next year. Any road is far too dangerous at the moment.
- 17 November 2009 at 16:40
- anna said...
I read about it in our newspaper. Sounds like a very interesting concept. Our car lobbies dislike the idea though (of course). I haven't thought it through myself, but it would certainly make sense to give it a go and see how it works. Keep us updated :).
- 18 November 2009 at 16:57
I do cycle a lot, I do think that cycling must be promoted, and I do appreciate that people should be encouraged to use their cars only when there is really no other possibility. However I sincerely hope that the Dutch parliament or public will stop this massive attack on people's privacy before it sets a bad example for other countries. (Yes, I acknowledge that in principle it needn't offend privacy, but I am certain that it will not take a long time until someone yields to the temptation to tap the data.)
- 18 November 2009 at 21:10
- Astropilot said...
Thank you for the interesting post and discussion.
Could someone help me to understand the privacy objection to this method of taxation a little better?
I understand that the government would have records of all travel behavior undertaken by car. This initially sounds threatening, but it's not clear to me where the expectation of privacy comes from for the use of public space (roads). Clearly, behavior on public rights of way is not entitled to the same level of privacy as behavior in a private home.
But I'm no lawyer and there's probably more to it. I'm just looking to understand the concern better.
- 20 November 2009 at 16:29
- elizabeth said...
The more I read about *laws* coming through in NL, the more I find I am glad to not live there any longer. There is no place in the world more bike friendly - I love that. But not this invasion of privacy. I understand wanting to reduce car usage and fuel consumption, pollution...but this goes too far.
- 20 November 2009 at 21:14
- David Hembrow said...
It's interesting how many concerns there are about privacy. In this case we're talking about something you can opt into and opt out of. Drive, or don't drive. There are plenty of alternatives to driving.
If you really want to see invasion of privacy on a huge scale, it's the UK you need to look at. That's where it's being made a condition of getting a license that pubs must video their customers and where phone taps take place at a rate of one per minute.
- 21 November 2009 at 09:21
- neil said...
"it keeps all of the GPS logs on the device itself - the data will never leave the device" - That may allay the privacy concerns, of course if may not be believed, and there would still be fears the government/police would have access to the data on the device itself. But I agree that may be enough to sway enough of the public.
I think GPS data of exactly where you have been, and when, is very, very different to video surveillance and even ANPR congestion charging.
- 21 November 2009 at 13:57
- David Hembrow said...
Neil, it's not terribly different from the data that already results from carrying a mobile phone around.
You can opt out. Don't drive and don't use a mobile phone (but to be sure with mobile phones you need to remove the battery. Yes, I know it sounds a bit "tinfoil hat", but it's true).
- 21 November 2009 at 14:17
- Frits B said...
The purpose of this plan is to tax driving according to road type, time and distance, in order to reduce the enormous tailbacks that are caused every day by the inadequacy of the road network. Apart from that, the type of car and fuel will be part of the calculation. Critics expect, however, that people will avoid the expensive motorways and will use secondary roads which will then also become clogged. What will happen next is that those secondary roads will get the same price tag as motorways; all it needs is a small change in software. In the same vein towns can request an upgrade of busy streets. In short, there is no end to the levies that can be applied. On the other hand, the new system will replace the existing taxes on owning and buying a car. These are high, so cars will become essentially a lot more affordable. It's expected that many people who do not own a car now, will buy one, and the number of second cars will also grow. They may not be driven much but still need space to be parked - mostly on the street.
As for the privacy issue, while it may be true that cell phones also tell where you have been, they can be switched off. The car "black box" cannot which most people don't like much. The minister for Transport has assured us that the box will only transmit the mileage data but no government has ever shrunk back from checking when it could. We have heard people from the former DDR tell us that the very idea is like the Stasi resurrected. There is no reasonable answer to gut feelings.
There is another problem. The system will be GPS based. GPS is owned and run by the American military, at great cost. If it ever breaks down road use is suddenly free, and if the Americans - who are having a hard time themselves - decide to charge the government for the use of their system there is no telling what the price will be. There is a European system Galileo but that isn't ready for a long time to come.
In short, if road use must be discouraged the simplest way would be to increase the fuel tax, or introduce a motorway toll. For some reason the government has chosen a far more complicated solution. The first concepts date back to 1972!
- 21 November 2009 at 20:10
Wouldn't the same be easier to do by taking the year to year mileage during the yearly vehicle inspection? (of course I'm assuming yearly emissions inspections in NL)
- 22 November 2009 at 22:34
- David Hembrow said...
Anon: The intention is to charge motorists more for use of crowded roads and for driving at rush hour than for use of quieter roads and at the weekend. This can't be done by looking merely at the distance a car has travelled during the year.
- 22 November 2009 at 22:45

subset: commoncrawl


text:
A federal judge on Wednesday stopped the scheduled execution of a serial killer in Texas, saying justice department officials must disclose information to the inmate's lawyers about the supplier of a new batch of drugs that would be used to kill him.
U.S. District Judge Vanessa Gilmore issued a temporary injunction stopping the lethal injection of Tommy Lynn Sells. He had been set to die Thursday.
State officials have insisted the identity of the supplier must be kept secret to protect the company from threats of violence.
Attorneys insist the name is needed to verify the quality of the drug and keep the inmate from unconstitutional pain.
Gilmore had ordered the Texas Department of Criminal Justice to provide to Sells' attorneys information about the drug procurement, supplier, testing, what kind and who conducted the testing.
Texas prison officials haven't provided them "with sufficient information," Gilmore said in her ruling Wednesday.
It was not immediately certain if lawyers for the state will appeal Gilmore's ruling.
Since obtaining a new supply of the drug pentobarbital two weeks ago, the Texas Department of Criminal Justice had cited unspecified security concerns in refusing to disclose the source and other details about the sedative it plans to use to put inmates to death.
"As a result, the state's secrecy regarding the product to be used for lethal injection has precluded (the inmates and their attorneys) from evaluating or challenging the constitutionality of the method of execution," Gilmore wrote her a five-page opinion.
Another inmate set to die next week, Ramiro Hernandez-Llanas, also is involved in the lawsuit.


text:
As of January 2010, ATI doesn't make proprietary drivers for Fedora 12. They do for Fedora 11. So in order to have a 3D driver for the RV620 chipset in the DV5Z-1000 in Fedora 12, you need to do this:
sudo yum install mesa-dri-drivers-experimental
This is a guide to running Linux with the HP Pavilion dv5z laptop.
This guide is intended to provide you details on how well this laptop works with Linux and which modules you need to configure. For details on how to actually install and configure the required modules have a look at our guides section for distribution specific instructions.
This page is just for discussing using Linux on the HP Pavilion dv5z. For a general discussion about this laptop you can visit the HP Pavilion dv5z page on LapWik.
If you would like to edit this page please first view our Editing Guidelines.
|HP Pavilion dv5z
|AMD Turion(TM) X2 Ultra Dual-Core ZM-80 (2.1 GHz)
|15" WXGA (1280 x 800)
|Optical Drive
|BlueRay ROM, DVD+-RW
|ATI Radeon HD 3450 Graphics (256MB)
|Gigabit Ethernet, Atheros AR5009 802.11a/b/g/n Wireless
|2.0MP Webcam, Fingerprint Reader, 3 x USB2.0, 1 x eSATA/USB, 1 x Firewire, 5-in-1 Card Reader, HDMI, VGA
|Optical Drive
|proprietary modules
|See notes
|Works great with v4l2 drivers
|Fingerprint Reader
|Seems not supported by current FP software for linux
|Not Tested
|Card Reader
|Supported with kernel 2.6.28
Update: Support for the Atheros wireless controller has been added in kernel version 2.6.27 with the ath9k module.
External VGA switching may not work without a reboot or Xorg restart.
Two main problems with the Linux on HP Pavilion dv5z laptop is lack of drivers for the wireless card (madwifi just does not support it yet and ndiswrapper did not help either as none of Windows drivers for AR5009 are supported by it) and suspend - previous kernel versions (prior to 2.6.28) would not come back from sleep. Also could not make fingerprint reader to work.
Mandriva 2008.1 and latest vanilla kernel 2.6.26
Fedora 10 x86_64 works great
As of January 2010, ATI doesn't make proprietary drivers for Fedora 12. They do for Fedora 11. So in order to have a 3D driver for the RV620 chipset in the DV5Z-1000 in Fedora 12, you need to do this:
sudo yum install mesa-dri-drivers-experimental
Do the BIOS update!!! Go to hp.com, search for "Pavilion DV5Z-1000" or whatever, and get the BIOS update. If you don't have Vista or Windows 7 installed, with which to run the BIOS updater, you can also find Microsoft's Vista livedisc image somewhere, boot that from a CD or DVD, and run the BIOS installer from a USB drive. I did this and suddenly Fedora 12 would boot from my hard drive.
The problem was that Fedora 11 and Fedora 12 would install just fine, and boot from a livedisc, but I couldn't boot the resulting installation from my hard drive. Grub showed "error 21", meaning that the hard drive doesn't exist. I did the BIOS update and everything instantly worked.
Good luck!
hi i have a HP Pavilion dv7-1130us Entertainment Notebook PC and it using a atheros AR5009 802.11 A/B/G/N WIFI and it find the card but its red and it dtects the wif bu i cannot surf are there any specified guides for mandriva 2009 pwp
Just installed Slackware 12.2. Installed with no problems, I haven't had a chance to see what hardware is working. I used bootpart 2.6a to make a boot sector for booting to lilo from the Vista boot manager.
To setup the bootmanager under Vista (derived from https://blogs.technet.com/voy/archive/2006/10/13/how-to-use-windows-vista-s-boot-manager-to-boot-linux.aspx):
bootpart 3 bootsector.lnx
bcdedit /create /d "Linux Loader" /application BOOTSECTOR
One note: the bootsector image path has to be in form of "\path\file" note the missing drive spec. I'm guessing it has to be based on the root of the Vista boot partition.
Update, bootpart worked as advertised, I don't have to copy the bootsector to the VISTA partition each time I make a new kernel.
Also, at least with Slackware 12.2 and probably any 2.6.x kernel, make sure you build the tmpfs filesystem into the kernel or udev can't load and you get nothing but a continous stream of error messages at boot time.
The ath9k module seems to support the wifi card (802.11n) haven't actually used it yet though, still working on pairing down the kernel and getting modules set up the way I want them (no reason to configure as a module if it's going to get loaded at boot time and stays loaded.)
1. The ath9k module works fine, proof? I'm writing this from X.
2.If you rebuild your Kernel and already have the ATI proprietary driver install then you want to make sure that it gets reinstalled in the module directory for the new kernel (I currently have 3). I actually modified my init scripts to abort starting X if the module isn't loaded, and drop me back to a text console. Otherwise when X starts you get a garbage screen and the only way to fix things is to turn the computer off manually. Of corse if you are booting directly to X then you have to figure out a way to get a login prompt to fix the problem. SO MAKE SURE FGLRX IS LOADED!
3.To use the synaptics touchpad driver for X under the 22.214.171.124 (and probably later, I didn't go through lxr looking for how far back it goes) you have to have these configuration items for your kernel:
a. EMBEDDED=y so you can do... b. MOUSE_PS2_SYNAPTICS=y c. Preliminary results indicate that the psmouse code has to be built as a module, but I'm still testing that. d. In Slackware 12.2 you have to comment out the protocol line in /etc/modules.d/psmouse e. Finally if you didn't include the /dev/psaux support in the kernel (like me) you have to configure the X driver to use /dev/mouse instead.
4. KDE 3.5 appears to use the /dev/dsp device exclusively, even when told to use ALSA. At least when I tried to get it to use the /dev/snd/pcm* devices it wouldn't. Which means you have to have the OSS compatibility code in the kernel. Still testing if it can be builtin or has to be as modules.
After further testing, psmouse and evdev can be compiled into the kernel, They do not need to be be modules.
According to dmidecode the smart battery system is supported but the sbs module doesn't appear to work. The /proc/acpi/battery, /proc/acpi/ac_adapter, and /sys/class/power_supply directories are all empty with the sbs module-chain loaded. Fortunately the standard battery and ac adapter modules work fine and provide all the information sbs provides, as far as I can tell at least.
Just figured out how to use the audio control buttons above the keyboard. They generate keyboard scan codes and matching keycodes so in order to use them you just have to map them to key symbols which your programs can use. Since I'm using KDE I didn't bother with mapping them under linux and used xmodmap instead. This is my .xmodmaprc…
!map QLB audio control buttons to keysyms - amarok already configured to use them
!I'm using function keys because I know them don't exist on the keyboard
keycode 160=F13
!volume down
keycode 174=F14
!volume up
keycode 176=F15
!previous track
keycode 144=F16
keycode 162=F17
!next track
keycode 153=F18
keycode 164=F19
…which I load from ~/.kde/Autostart
Then I just configured Amarok Global shortcuts to use the keysymbols for the appropriate functions.
Note that the linux kernel assigns different keycodes to them. You can use showkeys -k to see them.
So much for playtime.
One more trick, not really specific to this laptop but useful anyway. To have the system come up with the same preset volumes every time set your volumes the way you want them, then tell the mixer control for your desktop (kmix in my case) not to restore the volumes. Do "alsactl store" as root, then as long as you have "alsactl restore" in your startup sequence and no "alsactl store" in the shutdown scripts your system will boot with your preferred volumes every time.
Just for giggles, I set the master volume according to the headphones, and then adjusted the front speaker volume to match by ear. Now whether I use the speakers or headphones my volumes are correct without any tweaking.
Wireless works for mine using Ubuntu 8.10 and the madwifi driver "ath_pci". My lspci output is:
08:00.0 Ethernet controller: Atheros Communications Inc. AR242x 802.11abg Wireless PCI Express Adapter (rev 01)
"Atheros AR5009" is actually AR9280 and it works with ath9k driver (added in Linux 2.6.27).
Unable to run linux on dv5z-1000
I tried a number of different boot and live cd's and never got this machine to boot properly.
Perhaps there's something changing in the way they're being made.
Did you need any special boot parameters? If so, please specify.


text:
The truth is out there
20 May 2010
crimeandpunishment writes "The odds of Congress passing legislation to legalize and tax online gaming are probably no better than those of filling an inside straight, but some lawmakers are pushing for it anyway, hoping to lay the foundation for future passage. At a hearing Wednesday, one lawmaker cited numbers from industry analysts that Americans bet nearly $100 billion a year on the Internet, generating $5 billion for offshore operators. He said laws to prevent online gaming are no more effective than Prohibition was to alcohol."
Read more of this story at Slashdot.
Tags: Gaming, Legislation, long, Odds, Online


text:
rotoworldAnze Kopitar scored the lone shootout goal in the Kings 2-1 win over the Lightning Saturday.
Kopitar potted an assist in regulation. Drew Doughty potted his fourth goal on the season in the third period. Ryan Smyth assisted on the Doughty goal. Wayne Simmonds registered 14 penalty minutes including a ten minute misconduct penalty in third.


text:
Oilers beat Flames to end skidby Aaron Vickers
CALGARY -- All the Edmonton Oilers needed was 20 minutes and a provincial rival to put them back in the win column.
The Oilers struck three times in a 6:42 span to erase a two-goal, third-period deficit to beat the Calgary Flames 4-2 at Scotiabank Saddledome in the Battle of Alberta on Saturday night.
Edmonton received goals from Jordan Eberle, Ales Hemsky, David Perron and Boyd Gordon to snap a five-game losing streak and extended Calgary's to six, including three straight on home ice. It also gave the Oilers their second win in 12 games.
"(It was) not anything other than 'We get one, who knows what happens' and look what happened," Jordan Eberle said. "The biggest thing with this team is we have a lot of pressure on us from our team itself, our organization, from the fans. They expect us to win. When you're not winning, it kills the confidence in the team. You start making plays you're not used to making. You start squeezing the stick and you start not playing as a team.
"That's what we've been doing. It seems like the last two games we've gotten down, we've put our heads down and played and had fun and played the game, and that's when we've played our best hockey."
The Oilers needed one period to change their fortunes.
Sean Monahan and Dennis Wideman put Calgary up after two periods. But after being outplayed, outshot and out-chanced for 40 minutes, Edmonton quickly went to work to erase the 2-0 deficit in the third.
After taking a feed from Taylor Hall in the slot, Eberle caught Flames goaltender Reto Berra sliding the wrong way and buried his fifth of the season to start the comeback at 3:41.
"When you're in a bit of a slump, you just get the puck on net," Eberle said. "It was a good, quick release and great pass by Hallsy. I just tried to get it far side, quick release and get the team going."
The Oilers struck again at 8:18. Sam Gagner's pass hit Wideman, ricocheted high into the air and Hemsky batted the puck in before Berra could get a read on it to tie the game 2-2.
Perron capped the comeback with his fifth goal of the season. After beating Wideman off the boards, he fired a shot from below the goal line that bounced off Berra's back and in the net at 10:23 to give Edmonton a 3-2 lead.
"I saw a little bit of room," Perron said. "I'd lie to you if I told you I knew I'd score on that shot. I think I was the only guy in the rink that knew it was in the net. It was a good feeling."
Gordon added an empty net goal with 47.5 seconds left to give Edmonton some added insurance.
"It's something hopefully we can build on," Perron said. "There's times in the year we felt we could've had a better result, and tonight is one of those games where I think it was the other way for the most part of the game and we ended up on top. Hopefully we can build on that."
The Flames forced the Oilers to battle back after a quick start.
After managing just six shots in the first period against the Dallas Stars on Thursday and three in the opening 20 minutes against the San Jose Sharks on Tuesday, Calgary came out flying against Edmonton.
The Flames managed shots on back-to-back shifts to start the game with Lee Stempniak hitting Dubnyk in the pad before striking the far post 23 seconds in. On the next shift, Mike Cammalleri split Edmonton's defense, but was bested by Dubnyk too.
Monahan, with his eighth of the season, opened the scoring at 12:23.
After Ryan Nugent-Hopkins turned the puck over at the offensive blue line, Monahan hauled the puck into the Oilers' zone and worked a give-and-go with Jiri Hudler before beating Dubnyk to give the Flames a 1-0 lead.
Edmonton showed more jump in the second but Berra, making his sixth start in seven games, was equal to the task.
The Flames goaltender flashed a quick pad on Hemsky's one-timer from the slot 90 seconds into the period. Four minutes after that, Berra denied Nugent-Hopkins' attempt coming off the half-wall. He then made back-to-back saves off Hemsky's point shot and Gagner's rebound attempt with the Oilers on the power play with over five minutes remaining, two of 10 saves in the period.
The stops gave Calgary life.
Wideman walked in off the blue line and into a Matt Stajan centering pass, blasting the puck over the glove of Dubnyk with 2:52 remaining in the second to put the Flames up 2-0 after 40 minutes.
But the Flames couldn't hang on to the lead.
"We gave them two goals out of three," Calgary coach Bob Hartley said. "After 40 minutes, I felt that we gave them nothing. We were playing our style. Then, their first goal and third goal, there's only one word for those two goals -- awful."


text:
Recommended age: 2 – 99 years
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★ Reviews, tips, new apps, contests & more ★


text:
The Food and Drug Administration is taking the first steps toward regulating the rapidly expanding field of medical applications, or apps, for smart phones and other handheld devices.
With the rise of the iPhone, Android and other mobile devices has come a flood of applications designed to help people stay healthy. Industry analysts estimate there are already more than 17,000 medical applications available, ranging from calorie counters to programs that let doctors view medical scans on their phones.
The FDA says it will begin regulating a handful of these programs that pose the greatest risk if they don't work appropriately.
In a draft proposal, the agency says it will regulate applications that combine with medical devices already regulated by the agency, such as heart monitors that transmit to a smartphone.
(Copyright 2011 The Associated Press.)


text:
Jianguo "Jack" Liu discusses green behavior in China's big cities.
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|Related story:
|Scientists: Big City Life May Alter Green Attitudes


text:
MONTREAL — We'll get to the part about Kimi Raikkonen toe-dragging Henrik Zetterberg during a hockey practice.
But first, there's the matter of Canadiens defenceman Raphael Diaz not yet having driven his own car around Circuit Gilles Villeneuve.
"I don't know that I'd let him drive it, either," Detroit Red Wings forward Damien Brunner was saying yesterday, needling his friend. "He's a bad driver."
"Aw, c'mon," Diaz protested lightly of Brunner's harsh critique, throwing his arm over a chair and looking back over his shoulder as he did.
"I'd drive in reverse!"
The two Swiss pals were taking a short break from having the experience of a lifetime, red-carpet guests of the Sauber team on the first day of the 44th Canadian Grand Prix on Montreal's Île Notre-Dame circuit.
"I didn't expect this," Diaz said, sipping a coffee in the Sauber paddock's hospitality area during the day's second of two F-1 practice sessions.
"You don't see this many things when you watch the races on TV. You see the cars and maybe a shot of them in the (pit) box, but what the team has to do to set up the car is unbelievable.
"The engineers were telling us about the sensors in the cars that analyze everything. It's so impressive to see that."
If Brunner didn't agree with Diaz's assessment of his own driving skills, he wouldn't argue about the spectacle of Formula One.
"It's amazing, walking in there, seeing what's behind the scenes," he said. "There are so many details. It's crazy what's going on backstage. It's pretty cool to get to see all that stuff."
Neither Diaz nor Brunner had attended any part of a Grand Prix before, and both will be back Saturday for the third practice round and qualifying session as guests of Sauber, a natural connection given that the team is based in Switzerland.
The idea was hatched last month as the Canadiens were packing their bags in Brossard following their playoff elimination and Diaz was preparing to head to Europe, where ultimately he would win a silver medal with Switzerland at the IIHF world championship.
"I'd love to see some of the Grand Prix but I'm not sure about getting in," he said that day.
"What if …?" I replied, and we agreed to stay in touch.
Diaz won his silver medal and headed from Stockholm to Mexico for a little vacation. In the meantime, I sent a note about the Habs rearguard to longtime Canadian Grand Prix media officer Normand Prieur, who forwarded the few paragraphs to Sauber communications head Hanspeter Brack.
A day later, Brack emailed Diaz and the wheels were in motion. Diaz got in touch with Brunner, with whom he played almost four seasons for EV Zug of the Swiss A League, including a stretch during the NHL lockout, and Brunner changed his travel plans back to Zurich from Detroit to go out through Montreal.
"(Diaz) had told me earlier that I could swing by Montreal when we lost the first round and he was still playing," Brunner joked, the Red Wings of course lasting two playoff rounds to the Habs' one before Detroit fell to Chicago in a seven-game Western semifinal.
Brunner landed in Montreal on Wednesday, unsuccessfully trying to bring Red Wings teammate Pavel Datsyuk with him.
"I've been sending some photos to him today and I'll bet he's (peeved)," Brunner said, laughing. "Maybe next time?"
Alex Sauber, the race team's marketing director, was happily showing the pair around the garage, introducing them to engineers, team staff and drivers Nico Hulkenberg and Esteban Gutierrez.
"It's always a great pleasure for us to have other guys from different sports come and join us, an exchange, to visit our factory in Switzerland or at the race track," Sauber said.
He wasn't getting much of a nibble from either NHLer, however, when he suggested they return on Saturday with their training shoes to join the engineering group whose unofficial society goes for a run on virtually every Formula One track worldwide.
Neither player is a gearhead who follows every lap of every race.
"Sometimes I watch on TV, but I'm not one to get up in the middle of the night to watch," Diaz said. "I'm not into it like I'm into hockey."
Brunner said he watched more racing when he was younger, "but that was nothing like getting close to it like we are today."
Still, they did have a bit of a link to Formula One before this weekend, Lotus driver Kimi Raikkonen once an ambassador for EV Zug and, by many accounts, a very good hockey player.
"We had an optional skate (during the lockout) and Kimi came out in his equipment. He toe-dragged (Detroit's Henrik) Zetterberg!" Brunner said of the flamboyant offensive move that can embarrass its victim. "Hank even came out and took a few videos of Kimi."
Both Diaz and Brunner say they'd be much more likely to pay attention to Formula One now, especially to Sauber, given the bonds they have quickly forged.
Not that they expected to be piloting one of these cars any time soon.
"Wouldn't fit in one," Brunner said, grinning. "Not even close."
Twitter: Dave_Stubbs


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This gift certificate will be emailed to the recipient after your order has been paid for.
You can now buy my lovely Pink Hannah gifts here.
But, if like me, you love to get out and shop, you can find me at events and country fairs across the country during the season. I do like to take some of the more unusual and limited edition fabric designs out to the fairs - so if you are looking for something special check out my events calendar and come to an event, I would love to meet you.
Shopping online means that you can buy what you see, as we keep the shop up to date. You can buy with confidence, safe in the knowledge you are buying a high quality product.
PLEASE NOTE - due to the nature of the fabrics used, the position of the patterns will vary from item to item and what you see in the photographs here won't necessarily be the exact placement of the print on the next one I make. With each item I make I use the fabric to its best advantage, so they are all truly individual.
While every effort has been made to show a true representation of the fabric colours on this site you should treat them as a guide only as different screens will show colours differently.


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The Mt Washington Valley Ice Fest will be here before you know it. Make your plans now!
There is one important thing missing here. The name of my partner, who also did the crux pitch, hand bolted , on lead. A spectacular job. Dustin Cormier, from Bartlett .
some other newer routes at north bald cap . "gold fever" 5.7 half way between double crack and call of the wild is a corner -arete system visible from the road 600ft 4 pitches runnout on easier ground with decent pro when needed. climb the series of four aretes to beneath a hugh roof .go through the roof on the right and finish up at the anchors of call of the wild . also a new line lower right climbing searching for gold for one pitch and continue straight up where searching for gold trends left finishing fifty feet right of searching for gold. a bolt or two to be added next summer to clean it up 5.8-5.9 ish. there is one other new route up high leading to cc arete. 50-80ft right of going nowhere/cc arete is a white slab leading up to cc arete with some bolts as needed 5.9ish leading to the base of cc arete which now has a two bolt anchor at its base to facilitate belaying at the arete easier. we did this line because we could not figure out how to get there on the other line. it was not as obvious as we thought it might be. anyhow cc arete is awsome with tremendous exposure and seemed hard for the grade.
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Neb. chancellor shares thoughts on campus, zombies
A series of online videos featuring the chancellor of the University of Nebraska-Lincoln includes his thoughts about a zombie apocalypse, the expression YOLO and the virtues of his capital city campus.
Chancellor Harvey Perlman told the Lincoln Journal Star in an email that there's nothing sinister behind the quiet campaign. Perlman says he's "just trying to be helpful."
Perlman says in one that Lincoln is one of the biggest cities in the Big Ten and brags that UNL has a professor who skateboards to class.
Advertising and public relations major Megan Tynecki says she thinks the videos are funny, but "some of them are trying a little too hard."
YOLO is an Internet expression that stands for, "You only live once." Left unsaid is whether that would include zombies.


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Follow the Bouncing Ball….Sunday's Photo Collage
It was just one of those odd days around Major League Baseball. And the muddled complexion of the white sphere made by Rawlings played a major role in the outcomes, and suspense surrounding so many games today. The top photo shows Red Sox CF Jacoby Ellsbury barreling in for a ball hit up the middle in PNC Park against the Pirates, but the ball had a mind of its own.
As is my new Sunday routine, let's take a gander at some of the photos and mishaps pertaining to that always elusive white sphere. Let's start with the "hide-and-go-deep" ball hit by Tampa Bay Rays slugger Evan Longoria that was deemed a double. Longo finally got to complete his round tripper trot after the Umpires conferred in the dugout tunnel and further reviewed and reversed their initial decision.
Then you got the ball that tried to initiate gravity top an extreme and would not stay up long enough for Cincinnati Red starter Homer Bailey to catch it as it tumbled to the grass infield thus awarding an infield single to Orioles OF Adam Jones in the 4th inning. The Orioles ended up pushing across 4 runs in that inning with this dying quail hit by Jone leading off the highly productive inning.
We all remember the first time a Little League Coach put a ball in the air towards us and we either closed our eyes or flopped after the ball like we had been shot the moment it hit our gloves. Sometimes those same moments happen at the M L B level, but tens of thousands of fans in attendance, or at home get to witness the malfunction of ball into glove technique taught to each of us so long ago.
Take Washington Nationals CF Roger Bernadina's attempt at trying to snag a hard hit double by Chicago White Sox CF Carlos Quentin that tried to make an exit stage right in mid-flight. Over playing a ball hit hard, in the bright mid-day Sun is not abnormal at all, but not getting at least a tip of your leather on it….That makes the Nats possibly more eager to entertain a trade with the Rays for CF B J Upton.
But if you can't get to a well hit fly ball, or maybe make the error of taking a wrong route to the ball is bad enough, what harm is providing a few moments of over-animated movements for the nightly goof/highlight reels. I mean we all saw the red-tipped wings sprout from the baseball's hide and propel that ball away from Morgan's glove.
That is the only summation I can come up with involving the huge error in judgment made by Milwaukee Brewers CF Nyer Morgan on a blast off the bat of Minnesota Twins infielder Danny Valencia. As you might imagine, Valencia ended up with a triple to lead off the second inning. That fielding f aux pa by Morgan set up the struggling Twins with a 1-0 lead that escalated to the Twins stamping their 18th road win of the season (18-28), 4 victories better than their home mark (14-16).
Still, balls fall to the ground every day/night around the M L B, it is a given, but some of these Sunday just somehow seemed to have minds of their own. On Sunday some balls needed the human eyes to discover their illusions were not founded and reversals in calls were made. Others seemed to spark offensive powers and promote runs, scoring chances and eventual victories. Then others just seemed to come in pairs.
Remember the top photo of Ellsbury having a devil of a time trying to corral a sharply hit ball against the Pirates. Well, Ellsbury got a doubler dose of white ball fever as another one handcuffed him totally in the bottom of the fifth inning when Pirates SS Ronnie Cedeno hit his own dying quail sacrifice fly to Ellsbury to tie the game up at 1-all.
I remember as a kid one of my Coaches telling me that even as the ball is round, it has a mind and flight pattern all its own. It doesn't go oblong in flight after being crushed, or sprout wings and fly over you head, but tell that to these M L B players today. Until next Sunday, I am out of here like Long's 2-run shot against the Houston Astros…without further review.
2 Comments
Hi Cliff!
Great pictures with the ball in play! Yep, the ball can a mind of its own. I am in Minnesota to see my boys in Blue! And I got to meet Randy!
That was a wild game for the Rays with that football score.


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Posts Tagged 'Shopping Centre'
Pool Services AlbertonWednesday, February 2nd, 2011
Pool Service and Maintenance
We service and maintain pools in the Alberton Area.
Stockist of pool Chemical and accessories
Service and the repairs of pump and motors.
Distributors of Speck pump and Accessories.
Also at
Pool and Hardware
As well as doing pool products
We have range of bird feeds and seeds,
Bow Wow Dog Food,
Fishing Tackle,
General Hardware products.
Servicing the Alberton Community for the past 21 years
- Pool and Hardware
- Brackengate Shopping Centre
- Cnr, Andries and Dewaal str
- Brackendowns
- Alberton
- 1452
- Tel +27 082 6626250
- Email:firstname.lastname@example.com
- Kind Regards
- Craig Boden


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Is it possible to check an email from email via WordPress before an email is sent?
I'm working on a phpmailer plugin to send WordPress email via Amazon SES (which requires all emails to be verified). I'm using WordPress multisite and would like to set a different verified email per site.
So I would like to know if it is possible to get the variable that contains the from email to accomplish something similar to the following.
if(fromEmailVaribale == 'email@example.com'){
//Set from email
$phpmailer->SetFrom('email@example.com', 'Example.com');
//Set from email
$phpmailer->SetFrom('firstname.lastname@example.com', 'Services Example.com');


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52 Weeks, 52 Ancestors: Number 3
Caleb Church (1772-1856) of Ulster County, New York
Milwaukee pioneer carpenter and builder Benjamin Church, who arrived there in 1835, was the son of Caleb Church and Hannah Baker Church of Ulster County, New York. Born in 1807, he was one of ten or more children born to Caleb and Hannah between 1798 and 1819. Ulster County is located on west side of the Hudson River, opposite Dutchess County.
A vivid if brief picture of Caleb Church (1772-1856) emerges from several books and online resources such as land and probate records. Noteworthy is his brief profile in the book Descendants of Richard Church of Plymouth, Mass. Rutland, Vt.: Tuttle Co., 1913 – in the section for Church families with unproven links to Richard Church.
That book says Caleb was born on 9 Dec. 1772, married Hannah Baker in Dutchess County N. Y., and settled "in Loyd Township, Ulster Co., N. Y., where he carried on farming and coopering. He was also his own lawyer, his favorite retreat when studying a case being the great garret, flat on his back, with his feet against the rafters. His wife was a Quaker preacher."
Caleb was a substantial land owner having purchased 100 acres on 8 Dec 1798. Ulster County, New York Deeds, FHL# 944750, states that "Caleb Church of Newmarlborough, Ulster Co, NY, bought for 250 pounds etc land in New Paltz from Newman Waring." This is consistent with his grandson Oliver B. Church's biographical sketch that says Caleb bought land, built a log cabin, and raised large family. Neighboring landowners in Ulster County included the Terwilliger, Housbrouck/Hasbrouck, Ellis and Freer families.
The book's entry for him – No. 2542. Caleb Church – and a listing of Caleb and Hannah's children are online here.
Caleb is said to be of English Puritan ancestry, and was born in Dutchess County, New York, where he grew up on a farm, according to his son Samuel's biographical sketch in the book Commemorative Biographical Record of Ulster County, New York: Containing Biographical Sketches of Prominent and Representative Citizens, and of Many of the Early Settled Families. This book also states that Caleb and his wife were members of the Orthodox Friends Church, and he was a Democrat in politics. See Samuel's biography online here.
Samuel, perhaps with his father's assistance, went to New York City in 1821, when he was 16, to learn the carpentry and building trades. There is no evidence that his younger brother Benjamin had this training, but if not, he surely learned skills from Samuel before heading west in 1834 to pursue a career as a carpenter and builder.
Who were Caleb Church's ancestors? Mrs. Susannah B. Lefevre (Susannah Brodhead Church LeFevre), Caleb's great-granddaughter, believed he was descended from Richard Church (lineage Caleb 5 , Nathaniel 4 , Joseph 3 , Joseph 2 , Richard 1) but this is unproven. Her submission was included in Descendants of Richard Church of Plymouth, Mass. in the unproven section. This Richard Church came to America in 1630, became a freeman in Plymouth in 1632, and married Elizabeth Warren, daughter of Richard Warren who came on the Mayflower. More about him online here.
There were three Church families in the 1790 Census in Dutchess County, namely Benjamin Church, John Church and Thomas Church. The Church Family section in the book Little Compton Families from Records compiled by Benjamin Franklin Wilbour, Volume I, says there was a Benjamin Church born in 1732, married in 1773 to Johannah Wilbor, daughter of Joseph Wilbor, who went to Nine Partners, Dutchess County, New York. This Benjamin Church was in Dutchess County in 1785 when his father Joseph deeded him land from an Uncle Caleb. According to Descendants of Richard Church of Plymouth, Mass., his father deeded on 18 Dec, 1785, to son Benjamin "of Nine Partners, N. Y., a 15-acre lot left me by my uncle Caleb Church." The lineage of this Benjamin Church is Joseph 4, Joseph 3 , Joseph 2 , Richard 1.
For now, the ancestry of Caleb Church who married Hannah Baker is unknown, but there are theories and possibilities worth pursuing. In the meantime, we enjoy thinking of him up in the garret, his feet on the rafters, preparing for a legal case.
Please follow my genealogy postings on Twitter: http://twitter.com/BBPetura
Why not check out my helpful Brick Wall Genealogy Resources webpage:
Please join my group Finding Family for Free at GenealogyWise:
Thank you! And good researching!


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Hong Kong is a young, vibrant city bursting with energy. This is obvious to anyone standing on the pier in Tsim Sha Tsui, looking out over Hong Kong's impressive skyline of skyscrapers. Furthermore, this is a city that has managed to make an art of squeezing seven million people together in an area of 1.000 square kilometers. With its tropical climate, beautiful landscapes, energetic nightlife and fantastic food, Hong Kong is a traveler's paradise. 25 million people come here each year to experience a city unlike any other in the world.
Hong Kong Dollar (HKD)
The South China Morning Post
The Hong Kong Standard
Herald Tribune
Financial Times
Asian Wall Street Journal
Office hours are 09.00–17.30 from Monday to Friday, 09.00–13.00 on Saturdays. Many offices are closed for lunch between 13.00–14.00. Banks are open from 09.00–16.30 on Monday to Friday and 09.00–12.30 on Saturdays. Most businesses are open all day from 10.00–18.00 and in the tourist district they are often open until 21.00
7 Million
Hong Kong International Airport Visitor Centre:
Buffer Halls A and B, Arrivals Level, Terminal 1, Hong Kong International Airport, Lantau Island
Hong Kong Island Visitor Centre:
The Peak Piazza (between The Peak Tower and The Peak Galleria), The Peak, Hong Kong Island
Kowloon Visitor Centre:
Star Ferry Concourse, Tsim Sha Tsui, Kowloon
Lo Wu Information Centre:
2/F Arrival Hall, Lo Wu Terminal Building, Lo Wu, New Territories
HK Tourism Board Visitor Hotline: +852 2508 1234
You can find everything in Hong Kong: some of the world's most exciting skyscraper architecture, fashionable shopping malls, a subtropical wilderness and one of the world's hottest financial districts.
SoHo – south of Hollywood Road – is where you will find the world's largest system of interconnected escalators, a vibrating artery linking together restaurants, cafés, bars, interior design shops and shopping malls. For the fashion-conscious, a visit to Causeway Bay is recommended - here it is mainly young people who enjoy combing the fashion boutiques until late into the evening. Anyone who loses their way in the alleys of the technology paradise of Kowloon will find their way to an interesting restaurant in the Chinese quarter of Central or decide to take a swim in Stanley. And so it continues. Hong Kong is an adventure.
Temples, museums, amusement parks and lookout points - Hong Kong has a great variety of sights to explore. Highlights include the Man Mo Temple, Victoria Peak, the Big Buddha and the night-time market in Temple Street, but be sure to find some time to explore some of the city's fantastic museums, as well.
Man Mo Temple
Hong Kong Museum of History
Victoria Peak
Hong Kong Zoological and Botanical Gardens
Pak Tai Temple
Ocean Park
Star Ferry
Hong Kong Disneyland Park
International Commerce Centre & Sky 100
A Symphony of Lights
Nan Lian Garden
Big Buddha / Tian Tan Buddha
Hong Kong Science Museum
The Hong Kong Observation Wheel
Ngong Ping 360
Pottinger Street
Tai O Fishing Village
Wong Tai Sin Temple
Tai Kwun - Centre for Heritage and Arts
In Hong Kong offers a staggering variety of cuisines from around the world: Thai, Indian, British, Italian and not least, Chinese, among many, many others. Prices also vary widely, depending on the dining experience you're looking for. Cheap, fast eats and street food are a must for the traveler on the go, but take some time to indulge in some of the city's top-class dining, as well.
Jumbo Floating Restaurant
Café Deco
Spring Deer
Che's Cantonese Restaurant
Yung Kee Restaurant
Open Kitchen
Chi Lin Vegetarian
Din Tai Fung
Morton's - The Steakhouse
Yat Lok Restaurant
Lin Heung Tea House
Hong Kong Noodle & Congee Cafe
Café culture has become a trend among the younger generation in Hong Kong and the number of coffee shops in the city has rapidly increased. You will find both small, private coffee shops as well as large international coffee chains around the city, all offering crafted coffee drinks and treats.
Kubrick Bookshop Café
Tai Cheung Bakery
One Little Room
Amber Coffee Brewery
Forest Cafe
The Hut
Feed Your Nerves
Ovo Cafe
Barista Caffe
Postcollectionhk Cafe
The Alchemist Cafe Bistro
Hong Kong only fully comes to life in the evening, and the the pleasure-seeking visitor has plenty to choose from in terms of nightlife. Irrespective of whether you like English pubs, karaoke palaces or designer bars, Hong Kong has it all. The districts of Central, Mong Kok, and Knutsford Terrace in Tsim Sha Tsui offer the coolest nightlife in Hong Kong.
Delaney's Kowloon
Club 71
MO Bar
Tai Lung Fung
Boba Bear
TAP The Ale Project
All Night Long
Browse among beautiful Chinese antiques, designer clothes, jewellery, and above all, electronic gadgets. Find the "Quality Tourism Services (QTS)" sign and "No Fakes Pledge" sign to highlight your shopping experience in Hong Kong and return home fully supplied with only the best products. The main shopping areas are to be found in the districts of Causeway Bay, Central and Sheung Wan, Tsim Sha Tsui and along Nathan Road to Mong Kok, but you can also take a half-an-hour bus to Stanley Market, or visit the famous night markets in Yau Ma Tei and Temple Street.
Lane Crawford
Mong Kok Computer Centre
Shanghai Tang
Stanley Market
Temple Street Night Market
Golden Computer Centre
Sino Centre
Tung Choi Street & Ladies' Market
Western Market
Kwai Chung Plaza
Times Square
Citygate Outlets
Langham Place
Harbour City
Dragon Centre
Cat Street
Hong Kong's airport was previously in the city centre and it was an experience to fly in among the skyscrapers. But the new airport is still a major sight. Feted as one of the most ambitious engineering projects ever, this large airport really is proof that the construction of an airport is a prestige project and a work of art, too. The British architect, Sir Norman Foster, has described the building as homage to travellers in modern times.
The new high-tech airport lies a little way outside Hong Kong, but the Airport Express leaves every twelve minutes from 5.50 - 24.48 and takes you downtown in 24 minutes. A number of public buses also take you into the city.
At the airport there is also an Airport Ambassador Programme and a Costumer Service Centre you can turn to for more information and help.
Email: email@example.com
Phone: +852 2181 8888
Website: www.hongkongairport.com
More Information:
Public Transport
The clean and modern MTR, the tube, is often the quickest way to get around. A smart way is to buy an Octopus Card which can be used on most of the local buses, trains, trams, and ferries. You can buy the Octopus Card at any MTR Customer Service Centre and Airport Express Customer Service Centre. You can reload the card at any convenience store, supermarket, or Add Value Machine at the station. If you do not want it as a souvenir, return it to the centre and get the refundable deposit.
You can also buy a one-day card on MTR, or a Airport Express Travel Pass for any 3 consecutive days of unlimited rides on the MTR with Airport Express.
The bus fare depends on how far you travel, but remember that you need the exact amount or an Octopus Card to pay. There is also a small minibus which is a mix of taxi and bus and takes slightly longer but might take you closer to where you want to go.
Trams are also a pleasant way to get around.
Website: www.mtr.com.hk
More Information: www.octopuscards.com
It is cheap and simple to travel by taxi in Hong Kong – just flag down the first taxi that comes down the street.
The colour of the taxi indicates its geographical area. Red taxis are for most of Hong Kong, except Tung Chung Road and Lantau Island South. Green taxis are for the New Territories. Blue taxis are available on Lantau Island. All taxis provide service to the Hong Kong International Airport.
More Information:
Post Office
The main post office is adjacent to the Star Ferry Terminal on Hong Kong Island. Opening hours vary from office to office. Stamps are available in convenience stores. You can also find post boxes on most streets.
Address: 2 Connaught Plaza, Hong Kong
Phone: +852 2921 2222
More Information:
There are around 600 pharmacies in Hong Kong. If you want to see a pharmacist, look for the "Rx" sign with a red cross outside the pharmacy. You can also get medicine at Mannings, Watsons, or any convenience store.
SOS International Alarm
+852 2528 9900
For general enquiries and advice, call +852 2300 6555 or go to Hong Kong Central Hospital, 1b Lower Albert Road, Central, Tel +852 2537 8441.
Phone: +852 2528 9900
Website: www.internationalsos.com
More Information:
Country code: +852
More Information:
220 V / 50 Hz
More Information:


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THE DR. SUSAN BLOCK SHOW to Broadcast Live from Zephyr Theater's DEEP THROAT SEX SCANDAL, 2/2
This Saturday, February 2nd, 2013 The Dr. Susan Block Show will broadcast live on location from the West Coast premiere of The Deep Throat Sex Scandal, the critically acclaimed new play by David Bertolino about the making of the notorious, groundbreaking, 1970s porn film "Deep Throat" and the subsequent controversies it ignited.Joining international sexologist Dr. Susan Block live on the air from the Zephyr Theater in West Hollywood right after the play will be Deep Throat Sex Scandal cast and crew, including Natasha Parker (Linda Lovelace in the play), Marc Ginsburg (Harry Reems), veteran adult film stars Veronica Hart and Herschel Savage, producer/writer Bertolino and director Jerry Douglas, plus Golden Globe award-winning actress Sally Kirkland and renowned Oscar-winning comic writer and performer Bruce Vilanch, who also have parts in the evening's production.
"Deep Throat sparked the 'porno chic' wing of the sexual revolution, important Free Speech court cases, Watergate code and various ongoing scandals, and had millions of women checking their tonsils for their clitoris. We can't wait to see the play and go deeper..." says Dr. Block.
Tickets to the play are available at deepthroattheplay.com or by calling 800-838-3006.
Dr. Block's "Deep Throat Interviews" will air live February 2nd, 2013, 10:30pm-Midnight PST on DrSuzy.tv. Listen FREE at drsusanblock.com/TV.html.
The Dr. Susan Block Show is produced by The Dr. Susan Block Institute for the Erotic Arts & Sciences , an international center for sexual expression, therapy and education, based in LA. Founded in 1991 by Susan M. Block, PhD, world-renowned Yale-educated sexologist, best-selling author and host of HBO specials, the Institute's mission is to help individuals, couples and communities enhance their sexuality and improve their lives based upon Dr. Block's philosophy of Ethical Hedonism and The Bonobo Way of Peace through Pleasure.


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Passive Aggression is a Dish Best Served Iced
Passive aggression comes in many forms, but I prefer the subtle approach for added deniability. The message is still there, of course, but it's not so obvious as to get you immediately disowned.
"Here's a big dead tree to represent your general state of witheredness.
"Oh, and..." [jazz hands] "Happy birthday."
If she asks, it's a crown. But we both know better.
"No, Mom, of COURSE that's not a hand giving you the finger. It's a crown. Because you are a ROYAL...delight."
There is absolutely nothing wrong with this engagement cake:
...except that the groom's name is Nathan.
Nathan: 0
Mother-in-Law: + 20
When the subtle approach isn't getting the job done, though, sometimes you have to step up your game. And then put it in quotes:
"Also, I got this off the week-old clearance rack. For free."
Vicky: "It's not even my birthday!"
"We know; we just wanted to make extra sure you knew you were being excluded."
"No, seriously, we're reeeeally sorry about that. Now, can we get you some cake? Or a drink? Maybe some adult diapers?"
Sarah C. claims she only asked for Happy Birthday, and the baker overheard her saying the rest on the phone to someone else. Riiiiight. How'd that excuse fly with the birthday girl, Sarah?
Of course, when it comes to passive aggressive cakes, nothing can ever compare to the ones mom used to make.
Right, Jason?
Oops, looks like we just missed Jason - he's gone on a guilt trip. See ya when you get back, buddy! "Enjoy!"
Thanks to Anne M., Courtney B., Emily K., Greer D., Laura P., Jessica S., Jennifer B., Sarah C., & Sue F., who will always still love me. Right, guys?
Guys? ...Hello?
Thank you for using our Amazon links to shop! USA, UK, Canada.


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Actors remember Philip Seymour Hoffman
Oscar-winning actor Philip Seymour Hoffman was found dead Sunday of an apparent drug overdose in his Manhattan apartment. VPC
Academy Award-winning actor Philip Seymour Hoffman was found dead in his apartment on Sunday. Fellow actors took to Twitter to remember stage and screen star:
Albert Brooks: R.I.P. Philip Seymour Hoffman. One of the greats of his generation
Steve Martin: Shocked to hear of Phillip Seymour Hoffman's death. If you missed him as Willy Loman, you missed a Willy Loman for all time.
Kevin Spacey: A tragedy to lose as supremely talented an actor as Philip Seymour Hoffman. An unspeakable loss for film, theatre & all who knew him. RIP
Susan Sarandon: Phillip Seymour Hoffman was a genius, brave and sweet. Can't believe he's gone. Huge loss. My deepest sympathy for his wife and children.
Ricky Gervais: Such shocking & sad news.
RIP Philip Seymour Hoffman. One of the greatest actors of a generation and a sweet, funny & humble man.
Patton Oswalt: "Sometimes I absolutely hate this job." -- The Grim Reaper, when Philip Seymour Hoffman's name showed up on his list.
Russell Brand: Love and prayers for Philip Seymour Hoffman's family. Addiction kills, I hope all who need it have access to abstinence based recovery.
Seth Rogen: Terrible news. What a nice and unbelievably talented guy.
Aaron Paul: We lost one of the greats today. Philip Seymour Hoffman RIP my friend. You will be missed always and forever.
Lena Dunham: Beautiful beautiful man. We have lost so much joy to something so joyless. RIP PSH.
Octavia Spencer: Very sad day! R.I.P. #PhillipSeymourHoffman
Anna Kendrick: Philip Seymour Hoffman. Unbearably, shockingly, deeply sad. Words fail to describe his life and our loss.
Jim Carrey: Dear Philip, a beautiful beautiful soul. For the most sensitive among us the noise can be too much. Bless your heart. ;^{
Ellen DeGeneres: Philip Seymour Hoffman was a brilliant, talented man. The news this morning is shocking and sad. My heart goes out to his loved ones.
Minnie Driver: Oh boy what is HAPPENING? All these beautiful people leaving too early. What a sweet soul, Phil Hoffman was, what a sad, sad day.
Tom Hiddleston: Philip Seymour Hoffman. This is so unbearably sad.
Mia Farrow: OH NO!!!!! Philip Seymour Hoffman has died. A truly kind, wonderful man and one of our greatest actors - ever
Zachary Levi: Beyond shocked and saddened to hear about Philip Seymour Hoffman's death. Such an amazing talent that will be painfully missed.
Val Kilmer: Blu day, Philip Seymour Hoffman od'd. Addiction comes fr trying to escape th pain of living. We all struggle with this but Drugs never help.
Christina Applegate: I have no words. You will be missed!
Rainn Wilson: R.I.P. Philip Seymour Hoffman. One of the greatest, kindest actors who ever lived.
Josh Gad: My heart is broken, my mind is racing. My idol has died and I am so confused and sad by this tragic loss. RIP #philipseymourhoffman
Justin Timberlake: Just hearing about Phillip Seymour Hoffman. Devastating. What an amazingly gifted actor. RIP
Amy Schumer: All time favorite actor. Funniest, most truthful performances. "That's marvelous"- Brandt #RIP
Sean Hayes: Such shocking, sad news - Philip Seymour Hoffman was a huge inspiration to me. He will be greatly missed. My heart goes out to his family.
Rose McGowan: A giant talent touched by fire. Philip Seymour Hoffman.
Shane West: Absolutely stunned....was hoping to meet/work with THE man one day. Phenomenal talent. Just crushing. RIP Philip Seymour Hoffman
Sarah Hyland: RIP Philip Seymour Hoffman. You were a tremendous actor that I had always admired. Thoughts are with his friends and family.
Kevin McHale: in shock, can't believe it. Philip Seymour Hoffman was one of the best EVER.


text:
'Gangnam Style' And Other Best Memes Of 2012 Say Something About Us
So, you've all seen it, right? It is the most-watched YouTube video ever - and this week it surpassed one billion views. And just in case you've taken up residence under a large rock of some kind...
PSY: (Singing) Opa Gangnam style, Gangnam style...
MARTIN: It's Korean pop star PSY's "Gangnam Style," of course. And it didn't take long for the video to mutate on the Web into versions featuring Mitt Romney, Pokemon characters and the Ohio University marching band.
MARTIN: So, a little Internet 101 for the uninitiated. When these images and ideas take on lives of their own on the Internet, the variations are called memes, and memes have been with us for years. Anyone remember the dramatic chipmunk?
MARTIN: But this year, it feels like the meme phenomenon has taken off in a new way. Every time you turn around, the random, the obscure, the ridiculous, it's all being meme-fied(ph). Joining us from our New York bureau is Don Caldwell. He's a reporter for KnowYourMeme.com, which, as you can imagine, tracks Internet memes. Welcome to the show, Don.
DON CALDWELL: Thanks for having me.
MARTIN: So, I'm going to put you on the spot: what is your definition of a meme?
CALDWELL: The word meme was actually coined in 1976 by evolutionary biologist Richard Dawkins. And he was trying to illustrate this concept of universal Darwinism. And it's the idea that anything replicates will undergo natural selection. And so he thought, well, maybe not just biological things under natural selection but maybe other things replicate like ideas. So, the word meme was coined as the cultural analog to a gene.
MARTIN: Wow. That's not where I thought you were going to go with that.
CALDWELL: But today, these days, we talk about Internet memes - viral videos or things we call image macros, which are captioned images, or just, you know, catch phrases and trends that typically spread on the Internet through sites like Red Head and Fourchan and Facebook and Twitter and Tumblr and that sort of thing.
MARTIN: So, we just heard a little bit of "Gangnam Style." This was listed as number one in your best memes of 2012. Did that surprise you that this particular meme has caught on so much?
CALDWELL: I mean, at the beginning, yeah. I was a little bit surprised by how big this was blowing up. But, I mean, the video was fantastic. I totally drank the Kool-Aid on this one.
MARTIN: So, other candidates were the McKayla is not impressed. This was one of the Olympic gymnasts, who we all know got caught making that smirk in the picture. And then everybody started doing it.
CALDWELL: Yeah. That one was really interesting because after it blew up, she took a picture with President Obama.
MARTIN: And he was doing the face.
CALDWELL: Yeah, he was doing the face.
MARTIN: You know your meme has caught on when the president engages.
CALDWELL: Yeah, that went full circle there, yeah.
MARTIN: As someone who tracks this stuff, what makes for a good meme? I mean, can you kind of predict, or does it feel random to you what catches on and what doesn't?
CALDWELL: There are certain things that do tend to spread more easily. For memes that share, like, on Facebook, for example, a lot of the time they'll say something about the person who's sharing it. So, what people think I do was another one we had on. It was gigantic. You probably saw it on your own Facebook newsfeed.
MARTIN: Yeah.
CALDWELL: And it was these little posters, about five or six custom images, that were used to say something about how certain people saw a job or expertise. And it was compared to how the person saw their own job or expertise and the often mundane reality of what it actually was. And people would share that because it was saying something about themselves.
MARTIN: So, any way to predict what the memescape will look like for 2013? Are there certain trends that you're looking out for and anticipating that someone will meme-fy(ph) a moment or a situation?
CALDWELL: Well, I think lately, like, we saw a rise in captioned images this past, you know, couple of years. The advice animals, as you'd call them, blew up. And I think that had to do with, you know, image hosting becoming cheaper online and captioning themselves became easier for people.
MARTIN: Wait, forgive me, I don't know this one. Advice animals?
CALDWELL: Advice animals - they're captioned images and they have, like, a stock character that represents some kind of archetype. One of the most famous ones is Scumbag Steve, and it was a photo of this, you know, thug-looking kid in a hallway. And the captions would be things like borrows your lighter permanently or pukes on something, disappears. He's a scumbag that we all knew earlier in our lives that we want to avoid.
MARTIN: So, I'm wondering how this affects you personally, Don. I mean, as someone who is inundated with memes all the time, it has to be a pretty spectacular meme for you to actually kind of laugh out loud, give a guffaw and forward it to your friends on Facebook.
CALDWELL: Maybe. I mean, I laugh all day at this stuff. I love my job. I am laughing at my desk all day long. It's great.
MARTIN: Don Caldwell is a reporter for KnowYourMeme.com. He joined us from our New York bureau. Thanks so much for being with us, Don.
CALDWELL: Thanks for having me on.
MARTIN: And you can check out the memes of the year on our website, npr.org.
MARTIN: And you're listening to WEEKEND EDITION from NPR News.
Copyright © 2012 NPR. All rights reserved. Visit our website terms of use and permissions pages at www.npr.org for further information.
NPR transcripts are created on a rush deadline by Verb8tm, Inc., an NPR contractor, and produced using a proprietary transcription process developed with NPR. This text may not be in its final form and may be updated or revised in the future. Accuracy and availability may vary. The authoritative record of NPR's programming is the audio record.


text:
"Inside the museum are 1,100 dispensers — at least one of every model made by    the Austrian candy company since it began cranking them out in 1950."
Full Article Here
  September 7, 2017
  by Steve Rubenstein
  Perhaps California's most famous odd museum is the shrine of Pez dispensers   in Burlingame.
  February 24, 2016
  by Katie Dowd
  Take a drive down Highway 101 from San Francisco to Santa Clara to experience   the sights between the City and the Super Bowl.
  February 6, 2016
  by Karen Crouse
  By Tim Sullivan
  Number 31. Burlingame Museum of Pez Memorabilia
  By Ari Levy
April 8, 2008 (Bloomberg) -- Perhaps only a Pezhead can understand the allure of a pineapple wearing sunglasses.
Pezheads from around the world journey to California's Silicon Valley to view the rare pineapple dispenser, one of hundreds on display at the Burlingame Museum of Pez Memorabilia. Bugs Bunny, Darth Vader and Elvis Presley all appear as plastic containers that spit out Pez candy
World's Biggest Candy Dispenser Page 200
Page 200
  September + October 2007
  "READERS' FAVORITE Exceptional small-town museums"
  page 10 -
  "An amazing look at the candy that wins us over by being   half collector's item,"...
  ..."Hundreds of Pez dispensers are featured..."
"Great Toys From Our Childhood"
108 pages. Printed by Chronicle Books, San Francisco, California.
First printing in 1996. ISBN # 0-8118-1162-X
Check listing on the Food Network for next showing.
Burlingame Museum
of Pez Memorabilia,
Pink Panther, Papa
Smurf – who was your
favourite character on
those Pez sweet
holders? You can find more than 500 characters
in the world's largest display, 20 minutes from
San Francisco airport.
The small shop front leads into an
overwhelming grotto of Pez merchandise. Here
Gary Doss, the museum owner, rescues you
from the Pez watches, money boxes,
dispensers, T-shirts, cards and Frisbees —
which are for sale — and then proudly shows
you into the display room.
The original Pez product, a tin of mints, was
produced by the Austrian company in 1927. The
first small, rectangular dispensers are
uninspiring, and look a bit like lighters. The
first character heads were introduced in 1952
— they include Mickey,Casper and Popeye.
The rarest Pez in this collection, worth about
Ł3,500, is a Mr Potato Head character, which
was taken off the market in 1973 because the
small pieces were a choking hazard. Others
include a 1960s Mary Poppins and a bride and
groom set made for a Pez employee's wedding.
Burlingame Museum of Pez Memorabilia (001
650 347 2301,
www.burlingamepezmuseum.com), 214
California Drive, Burlingame,California. Open
Tue-Sat, 10am-6pm.
CNN Report "Pez Turns 50"
Anne McDermott - reporter
Shown on June 10, 2002.
"Throw an unforgettable party, get in shape and have a blast with 100-plus ways to kick-start your days."
"Number 5 - Visit a weird museum, like California's Burlingame Museum of Pez Memorabilia or Massachusett's Museum of Bad Art."
"Gary Doss is haunted by a pineapple wearing sunglasses."
"If he could only get a hold of the 1970s era Pez dispenser featuring the stylish fruit, the Pez collector and owner of the Burlingame Museum of Pez Memorabilia's collection would be complete...."
"The Weirdest Vacation Ever!" Page 47.
The article by Yolanda Crous lists 12 funky vacation spots.
"You'll flip your lid when you visit the Pez museum in Burlingame, CA--featuring more than 500 Pez dispensers, like Miss Piggy and Batgirl!"
Click on the image to the left to enlarge.
Return To Burlingame Museum of Pez Memorabilia
Visit the Classic Toy Museum
Visit the Banned Toy Museum
© Copyright 1995 - 2018 Burlingame Museum of Pez Memorabilia


text:
This info applies to the Neutrik RX series XLRs like NC3FRX and NC3MRX and other variations. This info can be used when placing an order and specifying the angle or to modifying the angle of the connectors you already have.
The factory XLR has 5 different positions that it can be set in 45deg increments. We have defined them as 270 degree, 315 degree, 0 degree, 45 degree, and 90 degree with 0 degree being the standard with the cable outlet being at the side of pin 3. Figure 1 shows the angles of the XLR with the red area being non-factory positions and the purple notch being the location to dissemble the housing.
Figure 2 shows another representation of the factory options for better clarity.
When a right angle XLR is ordered if no special instructions are provided we use the 0 degree notch for assembly. When ordering you can always specify the angle by leaving a comment in the checkout process. Please provide the info by our angle method and be sure to reference which cables apply if multiple right angle XLRs are being purchased.
After you have received your cable if the angle does not work for you, you can always change the angle yourself. Please be careful while making this adjustment not to hurt the wires inside the connector. Figure 3 shows the steps involved.
3A: Unscrew the boot
3B: Pull the boot back clear of the housing
3C: Remove the back plate
3D: Turn the connector housing to the desired notch
Reassemble in reverse order.
Figure 4 shows the notches and the tab that locks them in place.
Alternatively if you need the connector to fall in the 90-270 degree angles, the connectors can be modified to do so. For an extra charge we can cut a new notch at the angle you would like. We can cut these notches anywhere in the 90-270 degree range except for around 200 degree because that is where the tabs are that hold the connector together. Because of the factory notches we cannot cut extra notches between 270-90 degree. Please let us know the angle you would like and we can let you know the cost of this modification. Please keep in mind that we are not a metal shop and these are small and hard to cut cleanly there could be small scratches or nicks from this work.
You should be aware that when modified it can affect the latching of the connector. Figure 5 shows two options at 180deg. The male connector (5A) will cover the release latch making it hard to unplug. The female (5B) has its latch pressed by the body of the connector so will either not latch at all or may latch a little and the latch may be very hard to press in to release.
I hope this info page helps. If you have any questions please contact us.
Copyright © 2019 Event Horizon & ServicesPowered by osCommerce


text:
Free Hugs Youth T-Shirt - Black
Everybody loves a hug! Wear this t-shirt on camp to promote the giving of free hugs =)
Available in age sizes 3-4 to 12-13, please select the size you require from the dropdown menu.
You can personalise this t-shirt!
For an extra £3.00 you can have your name printed on the back, in white. Simpy enter the name you require and tick the box to enable this.
Maximum 12 characters, one line only.
100% Cotton, 165gsm.


text:
Averaging Extensometer, 1 in Gauge Length, +5 / -2% Strain, Single Output
Averaging Extensometer 1in Axial Gauge Length providing a single averaged axial output.
- Replaceable specimen contacts to suit a range of materials and specimens
- Simple, single handed attachment and removal
- Robust design for reliable operation under demanding conditions
- Meets ASTM E83 B-1, ISO 9513 grade 0.5 and ISO 527 (annex C)
The extensometer provides a single averaged axial output. It has electrical calibration and is self-identifying with most Instron systems.
|Gauge Length
|25.4 mm (1 in)
|% Travel (Axial)
|-2 to + 5%
|Specimen Thickness
|0 - 34 mm (0 - 1.34 in)
|Specimen Width
|0.1 to 55 mm (0.004 to 2.17 in)
|Static or Fatigue Rated
|Temperature Rating
|-200 to 200°C (-328 to 392°F)
|Accessory Height
|40 mm (1.6 in)
|Accessory Length
|110 mm (4.3 in)
|Accessory Width
|120 mm (4.7 in)
Averaging Axial and Biaxial Clip-On Extensometers
These Bi-axial and Averaging Axial clip-on extensometers use strain gauges for measurement and are constructed from high-strength aluminium, titanium, and stainless steel. All of the extensometers feature simple, single- handed operation. The extensometer incorporates automatic electrical calibration and transducer recognition including a unique digital serial number.
- Productos
- 4/15/2015


text:
I'm all for traveling in style, but do you think Jessica Simpson has taken it too far with not one, not two, but three pieces of Louis Vuitton luggage at LAX? Obviously she is brand loyal, but the multi-pattern logo bags make a statement that might be a little too aggressive for my tastes.
In my opinion, a better way to go would be with a classic LV roller bag paired with this Hermes Victoria Toile Clemence leather overnight bag. This combo is understated but still says luxury in a big way.
Or, mix it up and go with a logo bag and a solid carry-on. The Louis Vuitton white multicolore Keepall 45 is tons of fun, and goes perfectly with this decadent Salvatore Ferragamo rare off-white ostrich rolling carry-on bag. Even better, score an EXTRA 50% off the Ferragamo bag right now with code HOT at checkout.


text:
Provided by: liblog-agent-perl_1.001-2ubuntu1_all
Log::Agent::Channel::Syslog - syslog logging channel for Log::Agent::Logger
require Log::Agent::Channel::Syslog; my $channel = Log::Agent::Channel::Syslog->make( # Specific attributes -prefix => prefix, -facility => "user", -showpid => 1, -socktype => "unix", -logopt => "ndelay", );
The syslog logging channels directs operations to syslog() via the Sys::Syslog(3) interface. The creation routine make() takes the following switches: "-facility" => facility Tell syslog() which facility to use (e.g. "user", "auth", "daemon"). Unlike the Sys::Syslog(3) interface, the facility is set once and for all: every message logged through this channel will use the same facility. "-logopt" => syslog options Specifies logging options, under the form of a string containing zero or more of the words ndelay, cons or nowait. "-prefix" => prefix The prefix here is syslog's identification string. "-showpid" => flag Set to true to have the PID of the process logged. It is false by default. "-socktype" => (unix | inet) Specifies the logging socket type to use. The default behaviour is to use Sys:Syslog's default.
Raphael Manfredi <firstname.lastname@example.com>


text:
Fleetwood Enterprises Inc., the iconic Riverside, Calif.-based maker of recreational vehicles and manufactured housing that has ferried road-trippers and housed owners for 59 years, is continuing day-to-day operations after filing for Chapter 11 bankruptcy Tuesday (March 10).
As reported by the Press Enterprise, Riverside, part of its business will be shuttering its travel trailer division, affecting 667 employees nationwide including 12 at the company's Rialto, Calif., service center. Other closures include plants in Pendleton and La Grande, Ore., impacting 415 workers, along with a facility in Edgerton, Ohio, that employed 175 employees people.
Fleetwood said that all current orders would be complete at the plants before they were closed down.
In addition, the company laid off another 65 Inland workers in corporate positions Monday. More than 600 workers remain in Riverside.
The company, which will now be concentrating on its motorhome and manufactured housing markets, still has 15 factories and 3,000 employees nationwide. That's a far cry from its heyday in 1998 when 21,000 people in 62 factories built RVs, trailers and homes.
A Fortune 500 company for 28 years, the company boosted Riverside's business image and made the Inland region a destination for other RV makers.
Now, bruised and battered by failed attempts to expand, ballooning debt and an economy in tatters, Fleetwood's stock traded for a penny per share on Tuesday. The company hasn't made an annual profit since April 2000.
Since then there has been a flurry of management changes, while the company winnowed its losses from $284 million to $1 million by 2008 after shuttering factories and cutting costs. By then, though, Fleetwood was faced with the country's deep financial slump.
Buyers couldn't get bank loans to purchase an RV and dealers couldn't get financing to order new models from manufacturers.
Plus declining property values meant many buyers could no longer draw on their home's value and use the cash to buy an RV.
"What we are seeing in the RV industry at this time I don't believe any dealer or manufacturer anticipated," said Mellanie Ingle, spokeswoman for Giant RV – one of the largest RV dealerships in California with locations in Colton, Corona, Montclair, Murrieta, Westminster and Indio. "Giant RV is confident Fleetwood will emerge from the Chapter 11 filing. Fleetwood is the foundation of the RV industry."
The Press Enterprise reported that the company was delisted from the New York Stock Exchange in January. It dropped from 7 cents per share to a penny per share in over-the-counter trading on Tuesday.
There will be 609 employees in Riverside – 200 in corporate headquarters, 93 in its manufactured housing operation and 316 building motor homes – down from a peak of a few thousand in the late 1990s.
In 1998, the company was one of the largest makers of motorhomes and travel trailers, with about a 26.1% market share in RVs and 21.6% share of the travel trailer market.
In 2007, it accounted for just 7.6% of the RV market and 5.9% of all travel trailers sold, according to the company's most recent annual report.
Joe Hixson, a spokesman for Fleetwood, said there are no immediate plans for more layoffs.
The company is seeking bank funding to keep operating, but "we have what we believe to be sufficient cash for the immediate term," Hixson said.
Monaco Coach Corp. filed for bankruptcy this month. Perris-based National RV sought chapter 11 protection in late 2007. Weekend Warrior Trailers of Perris closed in September last year.
Christian Eddleman, an analyst with Argus Research, said that Fleetwood's move was just one more in an industry in serious contraction. "It's just a nightmare scenario for the RV industry that's not getting better," he said.
Eddleman has advised stockholders to sell since the last quarter of 2007. "It's likely that the shareholders are wiped out," he said.
As for buyers for Fleetwood's RV and manufactured housing divisions, the marketplace for struggling RV-related companies doesn't include a lot of suitors.
"It would have to be someone with deep pockets," Eddleman said.
Thor Industries Inc., Fleetwood's competitor with more cash on hand and less debt, could be a possible candidate, he said. He also pointed to Warren Buffett's Berkshire Hathaway Inc., which bought Indiana-based RV company Forest River Inc. in July 2005. Forest River bought Coachmen Industries Inc. in January.
According to the Press Enterprise, Hixson would only say Fleetwood is "moving with a sense of urgency with discussions with our buyers," without naming those interested.
Several employees at Fleetwood's Riverside factory where motorhomes are painted say they're not discouraged by Tuesday's news.
"You're never prepared for this kind of stuff, but you see it happening on the street all the time," said Ralph Montes, a 63-year-old maintenance supervisor who has been with Fleetwood for 21 years. "We might have some bumps and bruises, but we'll come out of this OK."
Montes and Andy Villegas, who works with him, said as of noon Tuesday that no employees have been told their jobs are in jeopardy, and they praised Fleetwood's past employment practices.
"It's a great company. We're going to come out of this whole," said Villegas, 49, who has been with Fleetwood since 1980. "It has good people and good managers. That's why I've been here so long."
Villegas said he accepts that the company is struggling because people are less likely to buy luxury items during a recession.
But there were weak sales due to the early 1990s recession, and the company survived that, he said.
"The airline companies had their problems, and they came out of it," he said. "They're still flying."


text:
Mango Tree
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Mango Tree
dubmasta wrote:I dont know if you have noticed Joaquin, but the whole fucking Europe is slowly but steadily descending into fascist regime, hidden behind the so-called democracy which is a total fraud, unfortunately this is true.
Mango Tree
Ross wrote:Ah, it's the whole of America. It's illegal for somebody to grow over $1,000 dollars worth of their own food a year, other than for commercial purposes.
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text:
NORTH MANCHESTER, IND. – Manchester University put eight players in the score column Saturday, Feb. 8, spotlighting a Heartland Collegiate Athletic Conference battle with league-leading Rose-Hulman.
Sophomore guard Brady Dolezal (Tipton, Ind.), continuing a meteoric 2013-14 campaign, tossed in 28 points for his ninth straight double-figure scoring game. He was consistent from the field and free throw line hitting nine-of-11 opportunities in each area. Freshman guard Chas Casteel (Monrovia, Ind.) came off the bench to post 11 points and round out the Black and Gold's double-digit scorers. Junior forward Jon Thompson (Rushville, Ind.) was just off double figures with nine points to go with five rebounds and two assists, while freshman guard Blake Brouwer (Elkhart, Ind.) added seven points and grabbed eight rebounds.
MU (5-16, 4-10 HCAC) kept it close with the visiting Fightin' Engineers (17-4, 12-2 HCAC). They led 5-3 less than three minutes and then rebounded, after R-H bolted out to as large as a 17-point lead, to cut the deficit to nine (39-30) at the break. The start of the second frame saw the home side continue their run, whittling the disadvantage to 44-43 with 15:15 remaining. However, the visitors answered with a 30-9 run over the next 10 minutes to guide them to an 85-65 win. Senior forward Julian Strickland helped propel Rose-Hulman with a 41-point, seven-rebound, four-assist and three-steal game.
The Spartans take to the road Wednesday, Feb. 12, for a 7:30 p.m. tip-off at Anderson University.
NOTES: Dolezal's total was his fourth 20-points-plus outing in his last five games … Casteel posted his fifth double figure game of the season … Brouwer, closing a week in which he averaged nearly 10 boards a game, saw his season average rise six-tenths (3.3 – 3.9) … The Spartans remained in a three-way tie for seventh on the conference standings with Bluffton University of Ohio and Anderson University. Transylvania University picked up a two-game lead for the final conference spot with a win at AU.


text:
Help ensure a smooth and efficient upgrade with skilled planning assistance
Transform a potentially challenging task into a smooth and successful CA Single Sign-On (CA SSO) upgrade by leveraging the expertise of CA Services professionals. With advance planning, you can minimize disruption of your security environment while taking advantage of the most current features and functionality of CA SSO.
The CA SSO Upgrade Strategy Assessment Service helps you plan for an upgrade to the latest version of CA SSO. This service accelerates transition and migration planning through the application of disciplined and proven assessment practices.
CA Services will analyze your current CA SSO environment to identify any potential upgrade challenges and identify opportunities to leverage new CA SSO features and functions. Recommendations are incorporated into a well thought out migration strategy and plan that helps minimize risk and service disruption. Knowledge transfer and CA Education training is recommended to help your staff become familiar with the features of the new version and how they can be leveraged by your organization. Take full advantage of the power of the latest version of CA SSO quickly with the CA Single Sign-On Upgrade Strategy Assessment Service.
The CA Single Sign-On Upgrade Strategy Assessment Service delivers the following benefits:
The CA Single Sign-On Upgrade Strategy Assessment Service provides you with:
After the service is complete, you have the flexibility of performing the upgrade using your own staff or obtaining follow-on implementation services from CA Services.


text:
1972 - a funeral!
The first ever episode of Emmerdale Farm opened with the funeral of Jacob Sugden on October 16, 1972. Eldest son Jack returned to the farm from London and became one of the show's principal characters. Life on the farm was slow in those days though, and Jack and co did nothing much other than sow the fields and scatter...Picture: Photo by ITV / Rex Features