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The Salvation Army Center of Hope
Shelter for women and children
Charlotte-Mecklenburg now operates a Coordinated Assessment (CA) system that aims to connect homeless individuals and families, or those at imminent risk, to an existing available shelter/housing resource in our community. Coordinated Assessment uses a specific definition of homeless. A homeless person is someone:
- Living in a place not meant for human habitation, or
- Living in emergency shelter (including domestic violence shelter), or
- Living in transitional housing, or
- Exiting an institution where they temporarily resided for up to 90 days (and were in a shelter or a place not meant for human habitation immediately prior to entering that institution), or
- Likely to meet one of the above definitions within the next 72 hours.
Assessment Locations, Hours, and Contact Information:*
Men's Shelter of Charlotte: 7:00 AM – 6:00 PM (Weekdays)
1210 North Tryon Street, Charlotte, NC 28206
(704) 334-3187
Salvation Army Center of Hope: 8:30 AM – 6:00 PM (Monday thru Thursday); 9:00 AM – 4:00 PM (Fridays)
534 Spratt Street, Charlotte, NC 28202
(704) 348-2560
Urban Ministry Center: 8:30 AM – 3:30 PM (Weekdays)
945 N College Street, Charlotte, NC 28206
(704) 347-0278
*At this time, Coordinated Assessments will not be available Wednesdays 12-2
After assessment hours, homeless individuals and families should be directed to an emergency shelter:
Single Adult Men: Men's Shelter of Charlotte
Single Women and Families: Salvation Army Center of Hope
People Seeking Domestic Violence Services or in imminent danger: Safe Alliance Domestic Violence Shelter, (704) 944-0169 (location confidential)
Youth under the Age of 18: The Relatives, (704) 501-8260, 1100 East Boulevard
What Coordinated Assessment IS:
- A process that assesses persons who are presently homeless or will be homeless within 72 hours, for referral to a housing resource in the County that fits their need and situation.
- A network of designated locations with staff that are trained to evaluate the person's qualifications to enter the Coordinated Assessment process and to be referred to available housing options.
- A Proactive referral, if space is available. If space, is not available they may be put on a waiting list.
What Coordinated Assessment IS NOT:
- A program
- A guarantee of housing space
- An applications completion service
- A housing clearinghouse.


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This guest post is by Desert Fox and entry in our non-fiction writing contest .
I've been lucky in my life by having begun it elsewhere in the world. I remember as a child the bullets my parents had to dodge so they could be in the bread lines to provide food for their children. Now that I live in such an abundant country, I revel in the memories because they serve me well.
Surviving has always been a part of my life. Always having a stash of extra canned foods,extra flour, extra dried milk, even the luxuries of extra sugar and extra coffee! Having lived in many parts of the US I've learned a little of a lot. I'm definitely not a master of anything and cannot repair a car, but I get by when minor things need to be done around me. As I gain in age, it does limit me a little — I no longer pack a 40-60 pound backpacks but know I still can if I need to.
Pluck a chicken? Skin a rabbit or deer? Those were lessons I learned by necessity. The first time I skinned a rabbit it took me a few hours (a little at a time)! Now I know it can be done in less than fifteen minutes by cutting at the base of the tail, the inside of the legs and remove the skin like a sock! I've had friends who could not even hear how a chicken was butchered and cleaned. They were happy just to go to market and buy one! Cut the head off and put it in a 5-gallon bucket until it stops kicking then pour boiling water on it to soften the feathers for plucking. Of course remove the insides and the talons and voila`! Well, it's not pretty but necessary! Get acquainted on butchering wildlife or domestics. You don't have to do it now,but at least know that you can do it. The skins alone will be valuable in winter. As I'm finding out, there are videos and books on just about how to do anything on the internet!
Having the supplies is not enough, however, for when the necessity arises. If you have wheat berries, you need to learn how to turn it into flour and then turn it into bread, and a grinder is not that cheap but a necessity. They are available today as opposed as later when everyone wants one! Learn to make a sourdough starter or get some from a friend for leavening bread; You can bake sweeter breads (pumpkin or squash) in a mason jar and preserve it for a very long time (it'sdelicious!). Just make sure you compile your supplies according to what you and your family like. There is no need to have some dried mushrooms if no one will eat them ~ Iremember when I was young, having rice pudding every day for dinner for a few weeks as it was easier to get rice and canned milk than meat and potatoes (and us kids didn't mind one bit!)
Teach your young kids or grandkids to eat what is put in front of them. A lot of small children are given passes at the dinner table when given a food they've nevertasted. I've always told my kids that I will cook one meal for dinner and not one for each kid. It's okay not to like a specific food, but is also important that kids learn to appreciate what you can provide for them–it might be the only thing they'll have at the time.
I've lived in Alaska a while and learned to can fish and chicken and make jerky. A Little Chief Smoker is a great plus for a household. (You can find it at most hardware stores like Wal-Mart and K-Mart) Smoking meat is an alternate to preserving it in the absence of refrigeration. Brine the meat in a mixture of soy sauce,garlic and brown sugar for a couple of hours (longer if you want it saltier – but not too long or it will be salty!) and smoke it for about 5-7 hours. You can then can it or vacuum pak it. Fruit trees (apple, cherry) are great as smoker chips as well as Alder. I made the mistake of using yellow cedar once (long ago) since it was easy to burn and it smelled great! – it turned the meat a beautiful reddish color and I was so happy and proud of my product until I tasted it… it was bitter! Yuck!
Don't forget to add to that gun arsenal some fishing tackle(at least some fishing line and various sizes of hooks) and, a very usable and seldom thought of… slingshot! Squirrels and birds are eatable too! Oh yes, just a thought, dogs and cats when not fed regularly will become wild too! So beware.
Have you thought of saving some needles and thread to make repairs on your clothes? These items are rarely mentioned in any survival lists! Today we just throw our socks away when they get holes or give our clothes to Sally's when they rip a little (isn't that true?). Your Bug Out bag should have some needles and thread as well as a pair of scissors and heavy-duty thread to make repairs on shoes or traps. Extra buttons are also a good thing to have – you can always cut a small piece of twig to use as a button (but you'll need that needle and thread!).
By the way, also remember to put aside some good books,paper and pencils, a few games and deck of cards. Kids love colored pencils (have a small sharpener with it). Your mind, specially, needs to stay sane and happy so you can emit good energy around you. Add a small harmonica too!
I've learned to make soaps and candles. I save a lot of candle leftovers and friends give me their leftover candles. Ire-melt them in a quart can with a squeezed side for a spout and put the can in a double boiler (a pan with water). Pour the melted wax into smooth-sided tin cans (the cans have tobe smooth on the inside so you can take the candle out!). Put a hole in the bottom of the smooth tin can for the wick (a thin cut of cotton cloth will do) and cover the hole and wick with duct tape to keep the wax from escaping after you fill it. Tie the other end of the wick to a nail or skewer to keep it taught at the center of the can until the wax has cooled. I usually place the tin can in a bowl of cold water when pouring hot wax as it helps to catch spills. As the candle cools in the tin can, it will sink in the middle and create a hole;you will need to pour more melted wax to refill the center (this can be optional – but it makes the candle whole).
Another way for used candles is to put small pieces in your tin can (mold) and pour plain melted wax on top of the pieces to cover. They make pretty candles and you can add some scent and color to the plain wax before pouring. Although when in survival mode all you want is light; a favorite scent is not bad for your wellbeing. As for the soaps…I'm researchingon making my own lye and getting a
As much as you think you are prepared for anything, it is very easy to fall into a false security. It has happened to me once in a while.As time passes in your daily living, you might borrow somethings from your survival pockets for an immediate need and unless you religiously replace the item, it might get left out altogether until you must have it and it's nowhere to be found.That's why it is very important to schedule regular checks and balances.
Don't prepare just for the future while you wait for those"worse times" to come, or keep all your supplies in one place.We read books or go to the movies to be transported to another exciting world; little do we recognize that our own lives can be just as exciting.As we gather our necessities we can really imagine we are elsewhere and even in dangerous situations that we need to get out of.I have a favorite novel I read every now and then to bring me back to reality and remind me it's again time to prepare.
Life is an unstoppable adventure!
basic recipe in terms that will be usable when I can no longer get what I need by mail. Soap is one of the most important things we can have in times of emergencies for prevention of illnesses and sanitation.
I just recently realized I don't have "goodies" instorage. My granddaughters reminded me the necessity of "feel-good" food…chocolates, cookies, puddings and so on. Those are easily packed for long-life storage by vacuum packing them in canning jars. A vacuum packer is an excellent investment! specially the ones with a jar attachment, or just ziplock bag them and remove as much air as possible, rotating them once a year. Add a little oil to the ziplock opening before sealing to prevent air to coming back in.
As much as you think you are prepared for anything, it is very easy to fall into a false security. It has happened to me once in a while. As time passes in your daily living, you might borrow somethings from your survival pockets for an immediate need and unless you religiously replace the item, it might get left out altogether until you must have it and it'snowhere to be found. That's why it is very important to schedule regular checks and balances.
Don't prepare just for the future while you wait for those"worse times" to come, or keep all your supplies in one place. We read books or go to the movies to be transported to another exciting world; little do we recognize that our own lives can be just as exciting. As we gather our necessities we can really imagine we are elsewhere and even in dangerous situations that we need to get out of. I have a favorite novel I read every now and then to bring me back to reality and remind me it's againtime to prepare.
Life is an unstoppable adventure!
This contest will end on August 7 2012 – prizes include:
First Place : 1 Year Subscription to AlertsUSA, 1 Radiation Safety Package consisting of the following; (1) NukAlert Radiation Monitor and Alarm (5) Radsticker Peel and Stick Dosimeters (1) Box Thyro Safe Potassium Iodide. All courtesy of AlertsUSA. A $150 gift certificate for Federal Ammo courtesy of LuckyGunner Ammo. And a British Berkefeld water fillter system courtesy of LPC Survival. A total prize value of over $700.
Second Place : A six pack Entrée Assortment courtesy of Augason Farms, a Nukalert courtesy of Shepherd Survival Supply and a WonderMill Grain Mill courtesy of Kitchen Kneads. A total prize value of over $550.
Third Place : A copy of each of my books "31 Days to Survival" and "Dirt Cheap Survival Retreat" courtesy of The Survivalist Blog dot Net and "Kelly McCann's Inside the Crucible Set" courtesy of Paladin Press. A total prize value of over $200.
Contest ends on August 7 2012.

subset: commoncrawl


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Can your teacher pick your levels for you?! e.g higher level, ordinary level, foundation level etc
Nadine S
well no they can just suggest a level for you ,what they think is best for you but they cant actually make you do a level.
no its up to you. but they can advise you
No, you paid for the papers not your teachers. Teachers tend to overrate their authority over you, they shouldn't but in the end if they really didn't care, they wouldn't recommend any level for you. Have a think through it and if you decide to pull off your desired level ask yourself if realistically be able to do it in that level. I'm the same with physics but my teacher told me that obviously it's my choice, and he recommended ordinary level..I'm still gonna ignore their advice tho since I'm gonna have 5 days and a half to study for it.
my teacher and headteacher tried to for my irish, but at the end of the day, you get to choose! if you have dropped down , make sure you have handed in a letter, or bring one asap to whoever is in charge of the exams in your school (mine's the deputy head) making sure they are aware. they may not allow you change on the morning, unless you have said letter (we had this in irish this morning where someone decided an hour before the test)
so no, you get to make the choice 100%


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Heidi Ettinger, under her married name Heidi Landesman, made theatrical history when she became the first woman ever awarded a Tony for her set design of the musical "Big River." Her work for that show (for which she also received a Tony as co-producer and several other awards, including the Drama Desk and Outer Critcs Circle prizes) was followed by her third Tony as designer of "Secret Garden" and her fourth nomination for producer. In all, she has been nominated for seven Tonys, won an Obie for Sustained Excellence, and has a mantelful of other prizes and nominations.
Ms. Ettinger's career on Broadway began with the design for the Pulitzer prize winning "'Night Mother" by Marsha Norman and has continued without interruption (except for the birth of three sons) ever since. Among her favorite designs include the Michael Mayer production of "Triumph of Love," the Jerry Zaks production of "Smokey Joe's Cafe," the folk artistry of "Tom Sawyer," an enormous abstract elevator for Disney's "Hunchback of Notre Dame" in Berlin, the calamitous but beautiful "Red Shoes," and a number of productions at The 2nd Stage, The Public, and several residential theatres. She also served as co-producer for the Sondheim/Lapine hit "Into the Woods." Most recently, she designed the set for the new opera by Stephen Schwartz (composer and lyricist of "Wicked"), "Seance on a Wet Afternoon," based on the film of the same title, which will be produced in the spring of 2011 by The New York City Opera Company.
She is a graduate of Occidental College and received her Master's degree from the Yale School of Drama, on whose Board she now sits as Advisor. She is also a member of the Boards of the Municipal Arts Society and The Hudson Valley Shakespeare Festival. Her work was recently featured in the "Curtain Call" exhibit at The Lincoln Center Library for the Performing Arts.


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Underrated Books To Read And Love
It's been a while since I have done a Top Ten Tuesday post. What luck that the topic for this week – Books I Enjoyed That Have Under 2000 Goodreads Ratings – should be so fun and so different! (Also, tbh I love that I don't have to rattle my brains to figure out what books… Read More Underrated Books To Read And Love


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An annoying wind noise has developed in the A-pillars/front doors of my Silverado
Today was the 4th dealership visit to solve this problem.
Replacing the weatherstripping didn't help, adjusting the doors achieved nothing but to mis-align them, and re-sealing the windshield did nothing. The dealership service department has told me that they don't know how to fix it.
Does anyone have access to a TSB or something that can help out with this problem? It's really causing some headaches because I'm worried that the dealerships around here don't have experience with this problem. I've become an expert at adjusting the front doors myself...that combined with rigging up improved fit with double sided tape with only a marginal change in wind noise.
Any help would be appreciated.


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Thank you. Good morning.
This is an enthusiastic, energized group and we need that energy and enthusiasm as we go into these November elections, because we have to take back the Congress in order to stop this administration and their unaccountable undermining of our constitutional democracy.
I want to thank my long-time friend, Hilary Shelton, for that introduction. It is nice having somebody else named Hilary. He gets a lot of press, as well.
He and I have worked together on so many issues, particularly with respect to the Voting Rights Act and the overwhelming need to return integrity to our voting system.
And I believe so strongly that if we do not go to the local and state levels in the next several months to see what local election commissioners are doing, to see what secretaries of state in the ilk of Katherine Harris and Blackwell in Ohio are doing, that we may not have the victories that we deserve and that I think the American people want us to have in November.
So my first and perhaps most important request to all of you is we're not going to get my legislation, Count Every Vote, through the United States Congress. The Republicans have absolutely no interest in changing the way we vote and holding the machine makers responsible, and having a verified paper trail, and eliminating conflicts of interest so that people who run partisan campaigns can't also run the independent verification of election campaigns for states and local communities.
So until we get back a Democratic Congress, we have to hold local and state officials accountable.
So please, join with me and make sure you do everything you can in the next several months, so we don't have a repeat of what happened in Ohio, what happened in Florida.
There are so many issues at stake. And in order to take back America, we have to take back our electoral system, because we meet at a time when the stakes could not be higher. We all are here in part, because we are fed up with what has been going on for the last five and a half years.
Now, we've had a few small victories along the way. You know, last week we stopped the Congress from mangling the Constitution by enshrining discrimination.
And we stopped them from eliminating the estate tax and adding $1 trillion of debt to our children and our nation.
We stood together. But it is hard when you're in the minority, which is why we've got to elect more Democrats in November. Because right now, that is the only way that we can prevent them from continuing on the agenda that they are so determined to pursue.
You know, it takes daily skirmishes from those of us in the Congress to try to hold the line on everything from college loans to health care for children, even health care for our veterans.
These particular battles should be viewed in a larger context, because they do represent the stark, philosophical differences between our progressive Democrats and, increasingly, even some moderate independents and a few Republicans who have found their way back to sanity -- I think we have a few of those in the audience today -- and the right-wing Washington Republicans who are determined to set this country on a disastrous path.
You know, Democrats believe in equal opportunity, in shared responsibilities, in a more inclusive community. They believe in concentrating maximum wealth and power in the hands of the people they consider entitled to rule the rest of us.
We believe in a government that empowers people to live their own dreams, but a government that is also accountable to the people. They believe -- they truly believe in a government that is run for the benefit of their partisan and commercial allies and without accountability.
We believe in forming policies based on evidence and argument. They believe ideology determines policy, and that evidence is a weak substitute for attack.
We believe in fighting terror and other threats to our security by cooperating with others whenever we can and acting alone only when we are forced to. They believe just the reverse: in acting alone whenever they can and cooperating only when there is no alternative.
So for five and a half years they have controlled the White House and the Congress, and they have succeeded in concentrating wealth and power and resisting accountability and ignoring evidence and going it alone in the world.
And what a price Americans have paid in exploding debt, stagnant wages, rising poverty, more people without health insurance, a more polluted environment, weaker workplace protections, an anemic response to the threat of global warming, exploding oil prices, increasing crime rates, a deeply divided citizenry, and more hostility and alienation from much of the rest of the world.
Now, I have been honored to fight for our values against the right wing's determination to take America away from our founders' vision of a more perfect union for many years.
And I'm grateful for the successes we've had, including the great success we had in stopping their frontal assault on Social Security and undermining the legitimate right to protection that every generation should have in old age and widowhood and orphanhood and disability.
But I am tired of defining success by what we prevent. It is time for us to start defining success by what we can build and what actions we can take based on that foundation.
Now, when this administration came to power, it became abundantly clear that they wanted to turn the clock back on the Clinton administration. And I admit, I took that kind of personally because I thought we'd done a lot of good things for our country and the world in those eight years.
But, you know, it became clear to me is that it wasn't just the eight years of the Clinton administration; they wanted to turn the clock back on the progress of the 20th century.
That starting with Teddy Roosevelt, all the way through Bill Clinton, this crowd had been unhappy. They'd been unhappy with saving capitalism, which is what Franklin Roosevelt had done. They had been unhappy with the bipartisan consensus about how we should act in the world to promote America's interests. They had been unhappy with the extension of civil rights and civil liberties.
So they came to town to reinstitute a 19th-century attitude that was basically: "We know best, you don't know anything at all, and we're not going to explain it to you."
And so we've been living with that systematic destruction of everything that happened in the 20th century. I don't care whether it was consumer protection or actually a FEMA that worked and protected people and saved lives and property.
It was an assault on the environment that had been pent up inside of them for decades, despite the fact that the environment originally was not only a bipartisan issue but the modern environmental movement was led by Republicans. But not for this crowd.
They had a determined effort to suppress science that didn't suit their ideology, to weaken key provisions that protected our air, our land and our water.
They had a clear idea, with their misnamed Clear Skies Initiative, that they were going to turn over control of the air we breathe to the dirtiest polluters in America.
Now, we've stopped that in the courts temporarily. But we have absolute evidence that their support of pollution is not only undermining people's lives; it is leading to premature deaths.
After 9/11, I said repeatedly, "This White House, this EPA is not telling us the truth. It is not safe to breathe the air at ground zero in Lower Manhattan."
And we fought them and we tried to stop them. And they ignored us, and they ignored scientific evidence.
And now I have firefighters and police officers and other people who came down to work and to help who are suffering from all of the diseases that they have incurred because they were not protected by their government.
And that is the kind of attitude that we have to stand against and end starting this November.
Well, what do we need to do? Well, first of all, we need a change in direction to make our economy work for everybody, an economy that honors hard work, responsibility and opportunity.
Second, we need dramatic change in direction in our foreign policy, in our national security policy, to protect our country, to begin to unwind the situation in Iraq as soon as we can, and to make it clear to the rest of the world that America's values are what we stand on.
It is not only security we seek, it is to build a safer, more prosperous world that will be better for our children and our children's children. We need a change in direction if we're going to have the values that we care about.
I believe in a very simple principle: that the engine of our economy is a strong middle class, that America is better than the government we currently have, that we can come together once again as a nation.
We can start by standing up for an economy that honors work again. It is unacceptable that people working for a minimum wage have not had a raise in 10 years.
You know, my husband and I are often bewildered by the fact that it appears that the Republican majority and the president just can't do enough for us. Every time we turn around, we're getting another tax cut.
And we keep looking at each other and saying, "Wouldn't it be nice if people who worked hard and played by the rules got tax cuts? Wouldn't it be nice if they were given a chance to get beyond the stagnating wages?"
Productivity's up. Profits are up. But people's wages are not up.
I have introduced legislation that would tie the minimum wage to congressional salaries.
No more increases for Congress until we raise the minimum wage.
Now, we also know that education is still a key to our future, individually, as a society.
And during the 1990s, Democrats gave students the largest increase in college aid in 50 years. I was very proud of that because I meet people all the time who had to drop out of college or could never start because they and their families didn't have enough money.
So we were making progress and, sort of, narrowing the gap between high tuition and costs and what the average student and his or her family could pay.
Well, this Congress just passed and the president signed the largest cuts to student loans in our nation's history.
We ought to be doing more, not less, for our students. We ought to be making sure every qualified student can go to college and pursue his or her dreams.
And, you know, there's a very easy way to do that. All we have to do is cut all the tax breaks for oil companies, pharmaceutical companies and billionaires and put it into student aid.
I also believe in a fair shot in life. I've lived long enough to know that things happen.
And things you never expect.
Well, we ought to reverse the mean-spirited bankruptcy bill that makes it harder for people to get back on their feet and get a fresh start.
And we ought to stand up for the right to organize workers and the right for decent health care.
You know, this is how they think, though. Just imagine this. After Katrina, after the president finally looked at the video that his staff asked him to look at and saw that there was a major national disaster along our Gulf Coast, what was their first decision?
Well, their first decision was to suspend the rules that made sure workers would get prevailing wages. That's how they think.
Well, we successfully reversed that. But they still haven't cleaned up the Gulf Coast.
I don't know how many of you have been down there. It is a national disgrace. It is heartbreaking. And it didn't have to happen. But the combination of incompetence and insensitivity have left so many people still all on their own.
You know, when the president talks about an ownership society, that's what he really means: "You're on your own."
"And the rest of us; we're not going to be there for you."
It is also time for us to restore the basic bargain in America and to expand it.
You know, I was raised to believe that if you worked hard, you did what you were supposed to, you would have opportunities to fulfill the American dream.
It's gotten a little more complicated because of global competition. And we have to be smarter about how we do it. But one thing that is clear to me is we still have not recognized how hard it is for people to work for a living and fulfill their family responsibilities.
It is as hard in this country as it is anywhere in the world. And yet here we are: the richest of all nations. Why it is so hard for moms and dads to be able to have flex time, to be able to have time off to go to a student-teacher conference or a school play or an athletic event?
Why is it still absolutely the case that working women don't get equal pay when so many of them are supporting their families and contributing income that's necessary?
I really appreciate the work that Joan Blades is doing, the co- founder of Move On along with her colleagues on the Moms Rising agenda.
She'll be addressing this conference. And please pay as close attention, because there is an incredible opportunity here for us to make our society stronger by helping working families fulfill the most important obligation they have, which is to care for the next generation and, increasingly, to care for our parents and our grandparents.
We are in the sandwich generation, many of us, where we have family responsibilities on both ends of the age spectrum.
We need to expand the Family and Medical Leave Act. It doesn't cover enough people.
We need paid parental leave so that people can afford to have time off. We need to ensure that every single child in America has health care.
And these are the kinds of issues that Moms Rising is promoting.
Now, much of what we need to do cannot be done unless we return to fiscal responsibility. You know, people say, "Well, is fiscal responsibility a progressive issue?"
Well, as Hilary Shelton said, if the strategy on the other side is to bankrupt the government so that it can't do anything like enforce election laws, like have a functioning FEMA, you know, like take care of people's most basic needs, they're doing a good job of it.
And their ideologues believe that.
You know, one of them famously said they wanted to shrink government so that it was small enough it could be strangled in the bath tub.
Fiscal responsibility gives us an opportunity to promote a progressive agenda. What do you think we were doing in the 1990s?
We were building the capital needed to make the hard decisions. And they knew it.
So at the end of the Clinton administration, when we had a balanced budget and a surplus, that was not just to put a checkmark in history against the Clinton administration and say, "Oh, look what they did," that was to equip us to do what needed to be done in reforming Social Security the right way, reforming Medicare and Medicaid the right way, making investments in clean, alternative energy, dealing with global climate change, making health care available and affordable to every single American.
That's what that was for.
And sometimes I think our opponents understand us better than we do ourselves. Because we have to put fiscal responsibility back at the core of the progressive agenda or we will never be able to achieve our goals.
And that is equally true when it comes to national security. Because of our fiscal recklessness, we are undermining our ability to lead the world in the way that I think it should be lead.
You know, we have done so little to send the message to friend and foe alike that the United States wants to lift up the rest of the world, not put it down.
We want to be partners, not opponents.
We borrow money -- $60 billion of it -- every month to maintain the Republican Party's spending habits. And where do we go to borrow that money? Well, we go to China or Saudi Arabia or Japan or South Korea.
Recently, the top 10 holders of American debt -- guess who broke in as number 10? Mexico.
I believe in maintaining our own fiscal sovereignty. But we're giving it away.
And when I travel around upstate New York -- and we have so many wonderful people who have seen the plants close and move to China or move somewhere else, and they come up to me, and they say, "Senator, why can't we get tough on China?" And I'll say, "Well, I agree with you. They manipulate currency. They steal our intellectual property. They don't abide by the rule of law and contracts. But do you know how tough it is to crack down on your banker?"
You know, this administration has rendered us weak.
You know, they have the toughest rhetoric in the world. They must watch old cowboy movies 24 hours a day.
But when it comes to actually being tough and strong, they leave a lot to be desired.
We need to be building alliances -- instead of alienation -- around the world. And we need to be reaching out in an effective way to fight HIV/AIDS, TB, malaria.
I have legislation that calls for the United States to help put children in school around the world.
It is not only the right thing to do particularly because so many girls are left out of school, but it would help provide an alternative to the madrasahs that teach hate.
You know, if you're a poor villager somewhere, and somebody comes to you and says, "Would you like your son to have an education?" You're going to jump at the chance, because there's no school in your area.
I've been in so many of these countries. Sometimes they build a concrete building with maybe a chalkboard and a few chairs and that's the school. There's no place for students to go after the sixth grade, or maybe there's a place down the road that the boys can go, but nobody will let their girls travel alone.
And so when someone comes and says to that village family, "Would you like your son to have an education?" Well, the answer is most likely going to be, "Of course. We dream of it." So off they go to these madrasahs, where they don't learn; they are given a view of the world. They memorize the Koran in a language that is often not their own.
And that's what passes for their education.
And they are taught to fear the modern world. They are taught to hate freedom and our values.
So why doesn't the United States go on record and say, "We're going to help send children to school so that they can be part of the new world we want to build together, that they won't be taken advantage of, they won't be turned into jihadists or terrorists"?
Many of us have said -- and I know many of you in this room have said that we want to support our troops. And we should. These young men and women are among the very best we have to offer.
And we need to keep faith with them and make sure they have the body armor, the vehicles and the other equipment, materials and training they need.
And now that there is a new Iraqi government, something that many of us have been waiting for and pushing for, then this Iraqi government needs to be told they have to take responsibility for their own security and stability that there must be a plan that will begin to bring our troops home because they have to take the priority of making sure that they have a unified government that stands up to the militias, stands up to the death squads. That is not the job of the American military.
Our job is to do everything we can to help this government succeed. And it will be difficult and dangerous. But I am hopeful that the administration -- which doesn't listen to any of us, anyway -- will finally realize that the policies it has pursued from the very beginning, when they rushed to war, when they refused to let the U.N. inspectors conduct and complete their mission, when they committed strategic blunder after blunder, has undermined America's leadership in the world and has put at risk the long-term war against terrorism.
Since 2003, the United Nations has been on record as saying, "We must try to help Iraq succeed as an independent, democratic government able to take care of its own security and run its own affairs."
That is why Zarqawi targeted the U.N. mission. Because the U.N. understood that once we were in this situation that was a determined decision by the decider about what he was going to do we had to work our way out of it.
And that is what I and the majority of senators on both sides have gone on record for. We voted in a bipartisan way to make it clear that this was a year of transition.
But I have to just say it: I do not think it is a smart strategy either for the president to continue with his open-ended commitment, which I think does not put enough pressure on the new Iraqi government, nor do I think it is smart strategy to set a date certain. I do not agree that that is in the best interest of our troops or our country.
It is also important that we recognize the real dangers we face. And sometimes this is a difficult conversation.
In part, because this administration has made our world more dangerous than it should have been.
We were united as a nation after 9/11. We had a commitment that we were going to go after the people who had attacked our country. And this administration didn't follow through.
And now we have problems in Afghanistan, we have problems in Iran, we have problems in North Korea, we have a really competitive challenge from China.
We need steady, smart leadership. And the only way we can begin to get that is to elect a Democratic Congress that can hold this administration accountable and ask the hard questions and chart the new course that we need.
And the second most important thing to do is to have a new energy policy so that we are not dependent upon regimes that are going to undermine our security, our economy and our environment.
So there is a lot of work to be done. And I have been inspired and energized by the activism and the commitment to a new progressive agenda. It is what I have worked for and cared about my entire adult life.
But if we're going to win in November, then we have to be smarter, tougher and better prepared than our opponents, because one thing they do know how to do is win.
And we have to reach out to people who may not yet agree with us. And we have to talk about the range of issues that are on their minds that they talk about around the kitchen tables.
We have to ask them if they're satisfied with a government that is undermining personal privacies, civil liberties, civil rights, our constitutional democracy, because I don't think most Americans are.
I've increasingly had Republicans come to me and say that they've had enough. And I said, "Well, why? What's happened?" And they say, "I didn't sign up for all of this." "What do you mean by 'this'?"
For some, it's the deficit and the reckless fiscal policies. For some it was the unbelievably shameless exploitation of Terri Schiavo and her family in a moment of great tragedy.
For some it was the assault on Social Security. For some it is the Iraq war and our failure to protect our homeland with the incompetent policies and misplaced priorities of this administration.
For nearly everyone it was Katrina. How could we let that happen?
Well, the best way we can prevent it from ever happening again is to stand up, stand up for progressive values and progressive politics, but stand up for winning elections, because we can yell at the TV set. Now that I have TiVo, I yell at it again.
But we've got to win elections, or it won't matter.
So let's make sure our elections are of integrity. Let's make sure we count every vote. And let's take back the Congress in November and begin our return to take back our country.
Thank you and God bless you.


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Conservative Men: Hillary Clinton Would Be Nothing "If She Hadn't Married The Guy"
Blog ››› ››› ERIC HANANOKI
Conservative pundits are attacking Hillary Clinton as "anathema to feminists" because she "married up," never achieved anything aside from being "the president's wife," and "has only ever gotten anywhere in politics because of who she's married to."
During the 2008 campaign, Clinton was frequently the target of sexist remarks by pundits.
Erika Falk, an executive director at Georgetown's McCourt School of Public Policy, wrote in Women for President: Media Bias in Nine Campaigns that during the 2008 campaign, media "conveyed disrespect for Clinton ... by implying that she has no personal accomplishments and all her success was due to her husband." University of Maryland professor Shawn J. Parry-Giles similarly noted in Hillary Clinton in the News: Gender and Authenticity in American Politics that pundits "complained that Clinton's accomplishments derived from her opportunistic marriage rather than her own credentials, further eroding her feminist commitments and her political authenticity."
The refrain that Clinton "has only ever gotten anywhere in politics because of who she's married to" has resurfaced again regarding her 2016 presidential campaign.


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CHESTNUT HILL, MA – #3/4 Boston College took a commanding 4-0 lead, defeating #9 Merrimack 4-2 as head coach Jerry York became the second college hockey coach to win 900 games before 7,390 fans Friday night at Conte Forum.
Merrimack (15-8-6, 11-7-4 HEA) concludes its season-series against the Eagles Saturday at Lawler Arena at 7 p.m. The game is sold out but will be broadcast live at merrimackathletics.com.
With the loss, the Warriors fall to fifth-place, two points behind Maine and UMass Lowell for third.
Karl Stollery (Camrose, AB) and Jordan Heywood (Regina, SK) scored in the loss for Merrimack and combined for seven of the Warriors' 19 shots.
Outshooting Merrimack 11-1 in the first, the Eagles took the early lead as Patrick Wey notched his first of the season and just the second of his 83-game career at 10:53. With BC on a three-on-two, Wey took feeds from Steven Whitney and Bill Arnold and beat Joe Cannata (Wakefield, MA) over the blocker. After a flurry of shots, Johnny Gaudreau put home a rebound for his 14th of the season at 13:53, giving the Eagles two first-period goals in a three-minute span.
Barry Almeida made it 3-0 on the power play at 6:43 of the second. On their first power play of the game, Almeida redirected a shot from Tommy Cross for his 18th of the season. Paul Carey made it 4-0 with an unassisted tally at 16:23 that fluttered through traffic and past Cannata.
Outshot 15-9 in the second by BC, Stollery got Merrimack on the board at 18:53 with his seventh of the year. Stollery took feeds from Shawn Bates (Ft. Saskatchewan, AB) and Mike Collins (Boston, MA) and beat Parker Milner over the glove for his 22nd career tally.
Heywood cut the lead in half just 31 seconds into the third, as his one-timer from outside the faceoff circle beat Milner past his right pad for his fourth of the year, assisted by Ryan Flanigan (Rochester, NY).
Merrimack had its chances in the third, outshooting BC 9-3, but point-blank shots by Justin Mansfield (Arlington, MA) and Stollery were stopped by the blocker of Milner.
Cannata made 25 saves in the losing effort, as the senior surrendered three or more goals for just the sixth time this year, excluding empty netters.
BC outshot Merrimack 29-19, as the Warriors were only credited with one shot in the first, despite having more than one scoring chance.
The Eagles were 1-for-2 on the power play, while Merrimack went 0-for-2.
Moving into a tie for first place with Boston University, York became the second coach in NCAA history to reach 900 career wins.


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The creative force behind Scabetti is the English design duo, Dominic and Frances Bromley. The organic forms and tactile, high quality English made materials, are characteristic of their work.
Since their company began with the launch of the Amoeba candlestick and small dish in 1999, Dominic's sculptural forms have been an iconic addition to the world of design. 2003 saw the launch of Drawn to the Light, the birth of their second child and their move from London to Dominic's birth place in North Staffordshire.
The introduction of Drawn to the Light and its critical acclaim gave Frances and Dominic the confidence to continue their work with bone china. "Bone china is such a beautiful material with a strong English heritage. It has different qualities exhibited in different lighting conditions. It's translucency when cast very finely, is most appealing and has really been the inspiration for our move into lighting design."
Their most recent design, Shoal, was launched in 2007 and has resulted in bespoke commissions worldwide, including the five metre tall sculptural installation at the International Maritime Headquarters in London in 2008, endorsed by His Royal Highness the Duke of Gloucester.
All Scabetti's work is made by hand in England, and designed by Frances and Dominic Bromley.


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News & Features
News Stories Tagged Planning
Travel Tips and Holiday Help: Weekend Roundup
The week after Thanksgiving means it's time to kick your planning mode into high gear. We rounded up some tips to help make this season a little less stressful.
Are Travel Agents Making a Comeback?
It was a classic case of video killing the radio star. But with endless information online, it seems that travelers are turning back to the people who know how to sift through it best—travel agents.


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Nangarhar sees good year, despite attacks
Nangarhar sees good year, despite attacks
JALALABAD (PAN): Nangarhar's revenue increased to 12 billion afghanis ($265 million) in the year to March 20, compared to 500 million afghanis five years ago, the governor said on Monday,
Speaking at a ceremony to mark the new Afghan New Year, Gul Agha Sherzai, said that the increase in customs income showed that the province was the first to be successful in trade.
Giving an account of the outgoing year, he said that nearly 4,000 different projects had been completed in the eastern province, at a total cost of 14 billion afghanis.
"I have shared the plan of 31 projects for the new Afghan year, and they have been approved by the Cabinet," he said.
The projects include power supply, agricultural development, dams, a 1,000-bed rehabilitation centre for drug addicts, construction of a road and a large madrassa, Sherzai told participants of the ceremony.
Last year, the new Afghan year was celebrated for three days, however, this year the officials celebrated for one day at an agricultural exhibition.
In his speech to the participants, Sherzai provided more details about what was to come in the next year.
A factory for farmers to store rice would be established at a cost of $3 million, a factory for milk storage would be built for $4 million and a project for water management would be completed at a cost of $17 million, he said.
A new security plan was also being considered after Nangarhar was subject to several deadly insurgent attacks last year, including an attack on Kabul bank branch in Jalalabad city which killed more than 20 people.
A fire that raged through a market in Jalalabad last year caused severe financial losses to shop owners, and Sherzai said he had recommended to President Hamid Karzai that the province have a well-equipped and trained fire brigade.
On cross border attacks by Pakistani forces in Gushta district, the governor said he had held a meeting with military leaders of Pakistan and international troops three days ago. Pakistani officials acknowledged their mistake and promised to avoid a repetition.
Efforts were underway to resolve a dispute between Shinwari tribes, Sherzai said, adding the mediators included presidential advisor on tribal affairs, Assadullah Wafa, and others.
Related Article
Download "Pajhwok" mobile App, on your smartphone to read and access latest news, features, interviews, videos and photos about Afghanistan.


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Author Patrick Jennings Reads
This is Patrick Jennings' 15th book for young people. A few of his previous titles are "Out Standing in My Field" and "The Wolving Time." The one we're celebrating this evening is "Guinea Dog." In it, meet Fido, the guinea pig that thinks she's a dog. It's a hilarious novel for everyone who's begged for a pet and gotten less (and more) than they bargained for. Free.
Secret Garden Bookshop
2214 N.W. Market St.
See map: Google Maps


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Saratoga Diary: Twice Upon a Time
- By Vic Zast
Alpha enjoys Saratoga slop for the second time in winning Woodward. read blog
Alpha enjoys Saratoga slop for the second time in winning Woodward. read blog
Slim Shadey returns to his favorite distance of 10 furlongs as the 122-pound highweight in the $200,000 Charles Whittingham Memorial Handicap (gr. IIT) on the turf June 8 at Betfair Hollywood Park.
Off for more than eight months, champion Acclamation makes his much-awaited return in the $250,000 Charles Whittingham Memorial Handicap (gr. IT) at Betfair Hollywood Park June 9, a race he has won the past two years.
Former philosophy professor J. Paul Reddam keeps his Kentucky Derby dreams in perspective with Santa Anita Derby winner I'll Have Another.
Off since disappointing in the Dubai Sheema Classic (UAE-I) in March, Bourbon Bay returns to action in the $250,000 Charles Whittingham Memorial Handicap (gr. IT) June 11, the highlight of a busy Hollywood Park program.
Front-runners and MTOs make the most of NYRA's decision to switch races from turf to dirt. Read Blog
Acclamation rode a lone front-running trip to his first grade I victory when he captured the $250,000 Charles Whittingham Memorial Handicap (gr. IT) on the Hollywood Park turf June 5.
Grade I stakes-placed Liquidity has been retired from racing for stallion duty at Jed Steffee's Steffee Stallion Station near Folsom, La.
After heavy rains at Belmont Park forced her to make Presious Passion a late scratch from the Joe Hirsch Turf Classic Invitational (gr. IT) Oct. 3 at Belmont Park, trainer Mary Hartmann knew exactly what she had to do. She shipped her multiple grade I-winning 6-year-old cross-country to California where she knew she would find the kind of firm footing her star appreciates for a different Hirsch at Santa Anita Park.
Spring House earned a repeat victory in the $250,000 Del Mar Handicap (gr. IIT) when he came from far off the pace Aug. 30 to catch the outsider Sir Dave by an extremely short nose on the turf.
The top four finishers of Hollywood Park's July 19 Sunset Handicap (gr. IIT), including two-length winner Black Astor, return for the Aug. 30 Del Mar Handicap (gr. IIT) in Southern California.
Little-known Argentina bred Global Hunter surged past even-money choice Monterey Jazz in upper stretch and held sway for jockey Corey Nakatani to register a 14-1 upset in an eventful $350,000 Eddie Read Stakes (gr. IT) at Del Mar July 25.
Jason and Les Instone from Brisnet preview the Eddie Read Handicap (gr. IT) at Del Mar on July 25. Plus, quick picks for the Coaching Club American Oaks (gr. I). Watch Video
A little more speed in the lineup and a turf course that's not quite so conducive to front-runners would help trainer John Sadler feel better about the chances of Whatsthescript in the $350,000 Eddie Read Stakes (gr. IT) at July 25, the highlight on the opening weekend of action at Del Mar.
Einstein and Gio Ponti are just two of several talented turf horses considering the Aug. 8 race.
Monterey Jazz and jockey Tyler Baze played come and catch me in Hollywood Park's American Handicap (gr. II) July 4 on the grass. Guess what? No one did.
Whatsthescript, a 29-1 upset winner a year ago, will carry high weight of 120 pounds as he defends his title in the $150,000 American Handicap (gr. IIT) on the Independence Day program at Hollywood Park.
Favored Midships gained a clear advantage in the home stretch and held off the surprising Globetrotter by a half-length to score his first grade I victory in the $300,000 Charles Whittingham Memorial Handicap (gr. IT) at Hollywood Park June 6.
Midships had things his own way while registering back-to-back grade II victories on the front end at Santa Anita this spring. Chasing his first grade I win in the $300,000 Charles Whittingham Memorial Handicap June 6 on the Hollywood Park turf, the Juddmonte Farms homebred is undoubtedly a big threat to do it again.
For the second race in a row, Mine That Bird's connections must look for a different rider, as Mike Smith has decided to honor his commitment and ride Jerry and Ann Moss' Madeo in the Charlie Whittingham Stakes (gr. IT) at Hollywood Park the same day as the Belmont Stakes (gr. I).
Remarkable 7-year-old horse Einstein, a graded stakes winner on dirt, turf and synthetics, will attempt to make history by becoming the first repeat winner of the $500,000 Woodford Reserve Turf Classic (gr. I) on May 2 at Churchill Downs.
Favored Madeo, given a confident ride by Mike Smith, charged down the middle of the Hollywood Park turf course to win the $100,000 Inglewood Handicap (gr. IIIT) by a head on April 26.
Madeo, coming off a third-place finish as the favorite in the Arcadia Handicap (gr. IIT) at Santa Anita, is the 119-pound top weight in the $100,000 Inglewood Handicap (gr. IIIT) on the Hollywood Park lawn April 26.
Dixie Chatter slid through an opening on the rail mid-stretch and kicked clear to win the $150,000 Arcadia Handicap (gr. IIT) at Santa Anita Park April 4 for his first graded stakes win since capturing the 2007 Norfolk Stakes (gr. I).
Millionaire Desert Code, winner of both last fall's Breeders' Cup Turf Sprint and the Daytona Handicap (gr. IIIT) six weeks ago on the hillside turf course, will attempt to stretch out to a mile in the Arcadia Handicap (gr. IIT) at Santa Anita April 4.
|Breeder / Owner
|Artiste Royal (IRE)
|Neil D. Drysdale
|John W. Sadler
|Doug F. O'Neill
|John A. Shirreffs
|Union Avenue
|Jerry Hollendorfer
|Bashford Manor S. (G3)
|Debutante S.
|Kelly's Landing Overnight S.
|Petticoat S.
|Perfect Sting S.


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(CNSNews.com) - The Bush administration has decided not to challenge a recent federal court ruling that ordered the government to remove the Oregon coast coho salmon from the endangered species list. The White House decision could serve as an important precedent.
Officials said the government plans to review similar Endangered Species Act (ESA) listings and, in the future, will measure the economic impact on communities and property owners before designating protected habitat for endangered species.
Friday's decision could also affect the long-standing dispute regarding water rights in the Klamath Basin on the California-Oregon state line.
On Sept. 13, U.S. District Judge Michael Hogan in Eugene, Ore., ruled that the National Marine Fisheries Service (NMFS) was "arbitrary and capricious" in 1998 when it listed the Oregon coast salmon under the ESA as a distinct "population segment" of salmon but did not list genetically identical hatchery salmon.
Hogan set aside the listing and said the agency must include both hatchery and wild salmon in determining whether they are endangered.
Bob Lohn, NMFS northwest regional administrator, said his agency would review its hatchery policies and develop a uniform standard by September 2002. He promised a full opportunity for public input and hearings in the review process.
Once a uniform standard has been developed, he said, the agency will also review the 23 other "population segments" of coho salmon throughout the West Coast states that are currently protected under the ESA, to determine whether they should be de-listed.
One of those is the Southern Oregon/Northern California coasts coho salmon, which is found in the Klamath Basin.
Earlier this year, the government, as a result of lawsuits brought by environmental activists, decided to cut off irrigation water to 1,400 family farms in the basin in order to protect the coho salmon and suckerfish.
Critics of the ESA say the Klamath Basin is a classic case of environmental activists intentionally misusing the act to destroy the livelihood of farmers, ranchers, and others who depend on the land.
Officials said Friday they hope to reach a decision on whether to de-list the Klamath salmon by next fall.
Dr. Bill Hogarth, assistant administrator for the National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration fisheries, said Friday's decision "should not be construed as the administration backing away from the ESA." Rather, he said, it is a commitment to make sure the best, open process and the best science are used in making decisions.
Hogarth also said in the future, the potential economic impact on affected communities and property owners will be taken into account before the agency decides to designate protected habitat for endangered species.
This has been a key criticism of the way the ESA has been implemented in the past. Last May, the 10th U.S. Circuit Court of Appeals in Denver, Colo., ruled that the U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service, the other government agency responsible for implementing the ESA, must consider economic impact.
Lohn said future decisions would rely more on local knowledge and would focus on promoting local initiatives to develop recovery plans for species rather than on regulations. He said this approach represents a "major change in emphasis" for the agency, and would speed up the recovery of endangered species.
"It's time to stop fighting and start fixing," said Lohn.
But Earthjustice, the environmental activist legal firm that filed both the lawsuit that originally forced the government to list the Oregon salmon under the ESA and the suit that forced the government to shut off the Klamath Basin irrigation water, is not ready to stop fighting.
Earthjustice attorney Patti Goldman said her group has asked Judge Hogan to allow it to appeal his decision even though the government has decided against an appeal.
On the other hand, Russ Brooks of the Pacific Legal Foundation, which filed the suit that led to Hogan's decision, said his firm may file new lawsuits asking the government to remove ESA protection from the 23 currently listed "population segments," especially the one in Klamath Basin, during the review process.


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32-year-old Robert White allegedly threw his mother against a wall, punched her in the face, stomped on her left ear, kicked her, banged her head on the floor and choked her. He also allegedly threatened to get a knife and chop her up.
Also scheduled for a last day to plea is Robert Pierce, who allegedly conspired with two other people to steal a car, take it to Buffalo and trade it for drugs. A Bradford man who allegedly tried to sell jewelry stolen in two separate burglaries is also scheduled to appear in court this afternoon.
26-year-old Matthew John Musolilno allegedly sold, and tried to sell, the jewelry in August and September.


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BUIES CREEK, N.C. The Campbell University baseball team dropped Monday's doubleheader to conference foe North Florida. The Ospreys took game one by a score of 12-2, while taking game two by a score of 16-13. Campbell drops to 11-13 on the season and 2-9 in league play. Meanwhile, North Florida improves to 12-16 overall and 6-6 in the A-Sun.
North Florida 12, Campbell 2 (DH Game 1)
Campbell would score right out of the gate in game one as they pushed two runs across in the bottom of the first inning to take a 2-0 lead after one complete inning. Ryan Hamme (Wilmington, N.C.) would score on an Alex Aycoth (Sanford, Fla.) groundout. Ellis Lowe (San Diego, Calif.) came in to score after a single by senior Matt Keen (Four Oaks, N.C.)
Campbell finished the first inning with two runs and two hits. The Camels would manage just two hits over the final eight innings of game one.
The Ospreys would tie the game with two runs of their own in the third to tie the score at two a piece. They would then score a single run in the fourth, followed by two runs in both the sixth and seventh innings to push their lead to 7-2.
Campbell started Ryan Hamme on the hill against the Ospreys. The senior pitched 6.2 innings allowing nine hits while seven total runs came in to score. Hamme struck out eight of the 31 batters that he faced in the outing, however he would be credited with his fourth loss of the season.
The Camels would use Jonathon Lopez (Vineland, N.J.) and Richie Gaito (Cliffside Park, N.J.) to close out the game. The pair of pitchers from New Jersey would pitch the final 2.1 innings, as Lopez allowed four hits while five runs scored, Gaito struck out one batter in his one-third inning outing.
Campbell was led in game one by Matt Keen; Keen finished with a hit, a RBI and a stolen base.
UNF hurler Phil Rorabaugh was credited with his first win of the season after pitching six innings allowing just two runs and four hits, while tallying five strikeouts.
North Florida 16, Campbell 13 (DH Game 2)
Game two would not be nearly as lopsided as game one, as both teams found offense all throughout the game.
The Ospreys would take a 2-0 lead heading to the bottom of the second, but the Camels would storm right back to take the lead.
The Camels half of the second was started with a Brian Gana (Richland, Wash.) single, followed by a walk by Stephen Parsons (Chesapeake, Va.). After D.J. Johnson (Winston-Salem, N.C.) sacrifice bunt, the Camels had two runners in scoring position with two outs.
After Chris Bangi (Jacksonville, Fla.) was walked, the Camels finally got on the scoreboard. A single by Ellis Lowe, scored both Gana and Parsons, while Bangi advanced to third, thus tying the score at two. After Bangi scored and Lowe advanced to second on a balk by UNF pitcher Ty Pryor, Ryan Hamme would get a free pass to first base after being hit by a pitch.
With two men on, Alex Aycoth would drive in Lowe with a single through the right side. After two innings the Camels led 4-2.
North Florida would answer right back as they posted three runs in both the third and fourth innings, allowing them to own a 8-5 lead heading into the bottom of the fifth.
Campbell would rally to tie the game in the fifth thanks to key hitting with two outs. Brian Gana would score on a Stephen Parsons double. Parsons would come in to score thanks to a Chris Bangi single through the right side. D.J. Johnson would score the tying run after an Ellis Lowe double to the right center field gap.
Campbell would take a 12-8 lead after six innings thanks to another big inning in which the Camels scored four runs on just three hits. Three of the Camels four runs in the sixth came with two outs.
UNF and Campbell would each post a single run in their respective halves of the seventh inning, as Campbell owned a 13-9 led with two innings to play.
The Campbell lead would not hold as UNF would score seven runs over the final two innings, including six runs in the top of the ninth inning, all of which were scored with two outs.
Jeff Rydman (Gladstone, Mo.) got the start on the mound for the Camels. The junior would pitch just three innings, allowing eight hits and seven runs (six earned).
Parker Fleming (Lexington, S.C.), Carlton Floyd (Riegelwood, N.C.), Josh Fish (Bellingham, Wash.) and Richie Gaito would close out the game on the bump for Campbell.
Fleming pitched three complete innings allowing five hits while two runs came in to score. Floyd (0-1), who was credited with the loss, pitched 2.2 innings allowing six runs on just four hits.
Josh Fish and Richie Gaito would combine to get the final out. Fish faced two batters, allowing one run on one hit and walking a batter. Gaito walked the first batter he faced before getting UNF third baseman Andrew Karmeris to pop out.
UNF pitcher Greg Kohler was credited with his first win of the season.
Campbell was led at the plate in game two by senior Brian Gana. Gana finished game two batting 3-for-3, with an RBI and two runs scored.
The Camels also received positive production from Stephen Parsons, D.J. Johnson and Zach Johnson (Smithfield, N.C.). The trio combined for seven hits, four RBI, and seven of the Camels' runs.
Campbell will hit the road tomorrow afternoon, as they are set to face the High Point Panthers. First pitch at High Point is slated for 6:00 p.m.


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Earlier this week video-on-demand service VUDU launched what seemed like a pretty cool feature: Share My Movies. The pitch is that you can share your digital movie collection with up to 5 friends. So that's awesome, right?
Except it turns out that not all your VUDU movies can be shared, just the UltraViolet content. I had thought that VUDU content was all UltraViolet but this FAQ entry implies that's not the case:
Q: What's the difference between VUDU and UltraViolet?A: VUDU is a digital video on demand service. UltraViolet is a standard for digital rights assignment and management. You rent, own and watch movies with VUDU. Certain movies and TV shows also come with UltraViolet rights, which are stored with UltraViolet, rather than VUDU, ensuring you can securely build a digital collection and access them through multiple retailers.
I added the emphasis to highlight the fact that (if I'm understanding it correctly) not all VUDU content is also UltraViolet content.
Sharing UltraViolet content seems to be a basic feature of UltraViolet itself. From their FAQ we learn that UltraViolet supports 5 users in a given Library, and 3 simultaneous streams.
That's OK, it's still cool that VUDU now supports UltraViolet sharing, right? But wait, there're apparently still some issues to discuss.
CNET called our attention to a tweet from Dave Zatz of Zatz Not Funny who had tried the sharing features. Zatz posted a screenshot of a message he'd apparently encountered after someone tried to share their library with him. It says "If you continue, your VUDU account will be unlinked from your current UltraViolet Library. You can link back to your existing UltraViolet Library. However, UltraViolet rules limit unlinking/re-linking to the same Library to twice a year."
What this means is that if you already have an UltraViolet Library and a VUDU account, I can't easily share my library with you, and vice versa. This reduces the usefulness of sharing among movie buffs by quite a bit.
VUDU has a blog post up about the new system and they don't mention any limitations like this, so it may be unintended and a glitch in the system. There's anoter entry in the FAQ that makes it seem like this isn't the way the system is intended to work:
Q: I already have an UltraViolet Library. Can I join another UltraViolet library?A: Yes. When accepting an invitation, just create a new user profile in the owner's UltraViolet Library. Please note that joining the library means linking your VUDU account to the owner's UltraViolet Library. If you purchase any movies or TV shows, the UltraViolet rights will be assigned to that linked Library.
Although this doesn't sound ideal either since it means (I think) that any VUDU content you purchase that has UltraViolet rights will get assigned to the Library of the friend who is sharing with you.
It's too confusing, right? Kudos to VUDU for making the effort, but either the system isn't working right, or it is so confusing that Dave Zatz (someone who writes about technology for a living) did something wrong, or it's fundamentally broken. (If it only works with folks who don't have an UltraViolet Library, I call that fundamentally broken.)
A step in the right direction? Sure. But if you're someone who enjoys lending out movies and TV shows to your friends, it's not yet time for you to give up your physical media.
Read more of Peter Smith's TechnoFile blog and follow the latest IT news at ITworld. Follow Peter on Twitter at @pasmith. For the latest IT news, analysis and how-tos, follow ITworld on Twitter and Facebook.


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One way that the EU has achieved this improvement is by setting legally binding and non-binding limits for the whole Union for certain pollutants dispersed in the air. The EU has set standards for particulate matter (PM) of certain sizes, ozone, sulphur dioxide, nitrogen oxides, lead, and other pollutants that may have a detrimental effect on human health or ecosystems. Key pieces of legislation that set pollutant limits across Europe include the 2008 Directive on ambient air quality and cleaner air for Europe (2008/50/EC), and the 1996 Framework Directive on ambient air quality assessment and management (96/62/EC).
Another approach to legislating for improvements to air quality is through the setting of national annual emission limits for specific pollutants. In these cases, countries are responsible for introducing the measures needed to ensure that their emission levels are below the ceiling set for the relevant pollutant.
The Gothenburg Protocol to the United Nations Economic Commission for Europe's Convention on Long-range Transboundary Air Pollution (LRTAP), and the EU National Emission Ceilings Directive (2001/81/EC) both set annual emissions limits for European countries on air pollutants, including those pollutants responsible for acidification, eutrophication, and ground-level ozone pollution. The Gothenburg Protocol was revised in 2012. And the National Emissions Ceilings Directive is up for review and revision in 2013.
In addition to setting air quality standards for specific pollutants and annual country-level ceilings, European legislation is also designed to target particular sectors that act as sources of air pollution.
Emissions of air pollutants from the industrial sector are regulated, by among others, the 2010 Industrial Emissions Directive (2010/75/EU) and the 2001 Directive on the limitation of emissions of certain pollutants into the air from Large Combustion Plants (2001/80/EC).
Vehicle emissions have been regulated through a series of performance and fuel standards, including the 1998 Directive relating to the quality of petrol and diesel fuels (98/70/EC) and vehicle emission standards, known as the Euro standards.
The Euro 5 and 6 standards cover emissions from light vehicles including passenger cars, vans, and commercial vehicles. The Euro 5 standard came into force on 1 January 2011, and requires all new cars covered by the legislation to emit less particulates and nitrogen oxides than the limits set. Euro 6, which will enter into force in 2015, will impose stricter limits on nitrogen oxides emitted by diesel engines.
There are also international agreements concerning the emissions of air pollutants in other areas of transportation, such as the International Maritime Organization's 1973 Convention for the Prevention of Pollution from Ships (MARPOL), with its additional protocols, which regulate sulphur dioxide emissions from shipping.
(c) Javier Arcenillas, ImaginAIR/EEA
"Although fortunately there are still places in Romania almost wild and spectacular, where nature is unstained by the hand of man, in more urbanized areas there is an obvious ecological problem."
Javier Arcenillas, Spain
A pollutant is usually regulated by more than one piece of legislation. Particulate matter, for example, is directly addressed by three European legal measures (Directives on ambient air quality and emissions of air pollutants, and the Euro limits on road vehicle emissions) and two international conventions (LRTAP and MARPOL). Some of the PM precursors are tackled by other legal measures.
The implementation of these laws are also spread over a period of time and achieved in stages. For fine particles, the air quality directive sets 25 μg/m3 as a 'target value' to be met by 1 January 2010. The same threshold is set to become a 'limit value' by 2015, entailing additional obligations.
For some sectors, air policies might first cover certain pollutants in limited parts of Europe. In September 2012, the European Parliament adopted the revisions that brought the EU's standards on sulphur emissions by ships in line with the International Maritime Organization's standards from 2008. By 2020, the sulphur limit will be 0.5 % in all the seas around the EU.
For the Baltic Sea, the North Sea and the English Channel in so-called 'Sulphur Emission Control Areas', the European Parliament set an even stricter sulphur limit of 0.1 % by 2015. Considering that standard marine fuel contains 2 700 times more sulphur than conventional diesel for cars, it is clear that this legislation gives strong reasons to the shipping sector to develop and use cleaner fuels.
Current European air-quality legislation is based on the principle that EU Member States divide their territories into a number of management zones in which countries are required to assess air quality using measurement or modelling approaches. Most big cities are declared to be such zones. If air‑quality standards are exceeded in a zone, the Member State has to report to the European Commission and explain the reasons.
The countries are then required to develop local or regional plans describing how they intend to improve the air quality. They could for example establish so-called low-emission zones that restrict access for more polluting vehicles. Cities can also encourage a shift in transport to less polluting modes including walking, cycling, and public transport. They can also ensure that industrial and commercial combustion sources are fitted with emission‑control equipment, according to the latest, best-available technology.
Research is also critical. Not only does research offer us new technologies, it also improves our knowledge of air pollutants and their negative effects on our health and ecosystems. Integrating the latest knowledge into our laws and actions will help us to continue to improve Europe's air.
(c) Gülçin Karadeniz
In the 1970s, many European governments became increasingly concerned about acid rain, which was damaging forests and killing fish such as the brown trout and Atlantic salmon. The report shows that acidification has been greatly reduced since its peak in 1980 when almost half of the sensitive ecosystem area in the 28 EU Member States was affected. This has been reduced to around 5 % of ecosystems today, the report finds.
Air pollution also contributes to eutrophication, an oversupply of nitrogen. This can change ecosystems, for example creating conditions more favourable to certain plants, thus reducing the 'species richness' in grasslands and other sensitive areas. Eutrophication from air pollution peaked in 1990 with around 80 % of sensitive ecosystems in the EU exposed above safe levels. Despite some improvements almost 60 % of the ecosystems are still affected. While the situation is set to improve further, the report indicates that air pollution will cause significant eutrophication for some years to come.
The improving trends are the result of deep cuts in the emissions of some pollutants over the last few decades. The second report published today documents the changes in air pollutant emissions since 1990. This report is submitted annually by the EU to the Convention on Long-range Transboundary Air Pollution (LRTAP).
Sulphur dioxide (SOx) is a major cause of acidification. Tackling SOx emissions has been a major success story of EU regulation, with emissions falling 84 % between 1990 and 2012. This was largely due to policies which aimed to switch fuels, install flue gas scrubbers in industrial plants and reduce the sulphur content of transport fuel.
The pollutants causing eutrophication have also fallen, albeit not as much as SOx – for example emissions of nitrogen oxides and ammonia have fallen by 51 % and 28 % respectively. However, the report shows that 11 countries still exceeded internationally agreed Gothenburg Protocol limits for these pollutants in 2012.
Hans Bruyninckx, EEA Executive Director said: "Although air pollution does not cause as much harm as it once did, we are still struggling to protect sensitive ecosystems from harmful effects such as eutrophication. This changes habitats, endangering a wide range of species from fish to flowering plants. It is particularly striking that the problem appears to be just as bad in Europe's protected natural areas."
Above: The Common dog violet, a plant species which is highly sensitive to nitrogen-containing pollutants.]]>


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Brangelina 'rent £23K-a-week home'
Angelina Jolie and Brad Pitt are reportedly splashing out on a luxury 12-bedroom home in Sydney, Australia.
The Hollywood power couple are said to be spending some time with their six children in the city and local reports suggest they're not sparing any expense.
UK newspaper The Mirror bolsters claims the couple are renting a 12-bedroom home in the ritzy suburb of Bellevue during their stay.
The luxury abode reportedly boasts a tennis court, swimming pool, gym, a television room and several "casual dining rooms" that have been enjoyed by other celebrity couples, including Will and Jada Pinkett Smith.
Real estate agent Julie Rogers, credited with leasing out the property, called the mansion "without doubt one of the finest properties in Sydney".
Angelina recently flew with Maddox, Pax, Zahara, Shiloh and twins Vivienne and Knox to their new home while Brad is set to meet the family when he flies in from Britain later this week, according to The Mirror.
"[It] is part of Angelina's plan as she prepares to begin directing her second film Unbroken," the outlet reports.
Angelina was pictured filming the feature in Los Angeles earlier this month, marking the first time she had been seen on set since revealing she underwent a preventative double mastectomy, according to MailOnline.
Unbroken, written by the Coen Brothers, tells the story of Olympic runner Louis Zamperini, who became a POW during World War II.
Angelina made her directorial debut with 2007 documentary A Place in Time. She also wrote and helmed 2011 war romance In the Land of Blood and Honey.
Unbroken is scheduled for release in December 2014.
A spokesperson for the star has not commented on reports of the rental home.
© Cover Media


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Public Events
Science Lectures for Schools
Weekly event during term time More...
University of London Observatory (ULO) Open Days
Bi-monthly event, October - March
All Events
Royal Astronomical Society honours Astrophysics staff
13 January 2014
Five members of the Department have been commended by the Royal Astronomical Society in their 2014 awards:
Individual awards
Winton Capital Award in Astronomy
"Dr Joachimi's work already spans a range of topics in cosmic shear research, from high-precision measurement of covariance matrices, through new measures such as three-point functions and magnification, to mitigation of systematics. In particular he has already established himself as a world leader in the subject of galaxy intrinsic alignments, whose effect would ruin the promise of lensing for cosmology if ignored."
The Gerald Whitrow Lecture
"Prof. Lahav has made pioneering contributions to cosmology by using novel statistical techniques to exploit galaxy survey data, and has played influential leadership roles in observational cosmology. His early work established for the first time that the Milky Way is moving towards nearby concentrations of galaxies, and he quickly realised that these galaxy flows could be used to measure the density of the universe."
Group Awards
Geophysics Group Achievement Award awarded to the Cassini Magnetometer Team
Dr Nick Achilleos is a member of the The Cassini Magnetometer Team: "The Magnetometer Team have played a critical role from the beginning of the Cassini-Huygens mission and will be there right until the end."
Astronomy Group Achievement Award awarded to The Herschel-SPIRE Consortium
Members of the team include Prof. Bruce Swinyard, Dr Giorgio Savini and Prof. Mike Barlow: "The fantastic success of Herschel-SPIRE is a fitting tribute to all those scientists and engineers who have contributed to the project over many years. The impact of observations obtained using SPIRE will continue to influence and advance astrophysics well into the future."
Further information:


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hello everyone, Im here from howell NJ. I purchased my optima from Freehold Kia and was treated like family. Uncle vito is the man when you need to buy a car from that dealership. I spent 6 and 1/2 hrs and i would say 3 hours was BS'ng lmao... Anywhos this is my DIY thread and i will update with every Mod. (most will be from K5 Optima Store lol)
so to start it off here she is (brand new home from the dealer)
1st MOD (HID xenon 8000k from xenonsupply.com)
8000k bulbs with relay and slim ballasts
This saturday (20-30% tints all around except the front windshield) pics to follow
This sunday (Debadging, Changing out the kia badges to the ones from K5 Optima Store, Installing fogs & license plate leds and taking off ugly pinstripping) pics to follow ( i had these 2 mods for a while but kia has had my car for a while which i flipped out and had enough with nonsense. They had to fix cosmetic issues with my new car and had horrible communications and service from the service department. Im now getting a remote start for my troubles )
The Led Fogs, license plate lights and kia badges are from K5 optima store (Awesome vendor on the site)
In the future (coming soon just dont tell the wifey lmao)
all from K5 Optima Store
Backup Leds
Interior Leds stage 2
possibly auto fold up mirror mod


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The Importance of a Term Paper Title
Posted On August 7th, 2009 | Term Paper Writing
Do you not think that term paper titles play a very essential role? Well, unfortunately this is a wrong assumption. After you finish reading this article, you will change your mind about the significance of a term paper title. Besides, you will find out how to create a strong term paper title.
What is actually the purpose of writing a term paper? The main purpose is to develop writing skills and to enlarge knowledge of a certain subject. Next question: What for do you need to develop your writing skills?
This is the key question of our article, since whatever job you get in the future, you will definitely be obliged to write at least something. For example, you are going to work in an advertising agency. You do understand how important it is to know how to make a catchy title in this case.
Thus, you should learn creating strong and catchy titles in school and university. Let us present you our tips on how to create a strong term paper title:
- If you have problems composing your term paper title, you can always approach your teacher and ask for help. There is nothing wrong with this. He/she will certainly help you formulate your term paper title.
- Term paper titles should be brief but clear and up to the point. It is recommended to compose the final version of your term paper title after the paper is completed.
- Do not overload your term paper title with terminology. Remember that your term paper title is a brief description of your paper and should state its main idea.
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Canadian National raises rates for using older oil tank cars
By Nia Williams
CALGARY Feb 12 (Reuters) - Canadian National Railway is charging shippers more to transport crude oil in older tank cars, one of the first signs that rail operators are actively discouraging use of the type of cars involved in several dramatic explosions.
Confirmation of a tiered fee structure for different models of tank cars comes amid intensified scrutiny on the safety of shipping volatile light crudes by rail, spurred by a series of explosions including the Lac-Megantic disaster last summer, in which a runaway crude train exploded in the center of a Quebec town, killing 47 people.
Railroads, shippers and regulators across North America have acknowledged that older DOT-111s tank cars, manufactured before higher standards were adopted in 2011, often fail during accidents, making them more likely to spill their cargo and catch fire.
While new rules to upgrade or phase out cars are under consideration, it may be months if not years before they come fully into effect, frustrating many rail companies that often deal with the public fallout and potentially repair costs.
"CN has structured its rates to create an economic incentive for customers to acquire, over time, more robust tank cars that meet the higher safety standard of the more recent CPC 1232 design," said Mark Hallman, spokesman for CN, Canada's biggest railway and a major player in the oil-rail trend.
On Monday, CN chief marketing officer J.J. Ruest said in a presentation: "What we do to help ourself is we price crude differently for different car types. ... The CPC-1232 is our favorite car when it comes to pricing or attracting business."
The CPC 1232 design refers to a circular issued by the American Association of Railroads requiring all crude- and ethanol-carrying cars ordered after October 2011 to have enhanced safety features, including reinforced outer shells and protective shields.
Hallman declined to comment on the specifics of the rates. A source at a Canadian midstream company said CN was charging up to 5 percent additional freight costs on some DOT-111 cars. Continued...


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Make-Believe vs. Reality
By Doug Hornig
Yesterday I was reminded again that life is full of irony. At the same time that the Democrats left Charlotte, NC, after renominating their president for another term – no doubt congratulating themselves for how much has been accomplished over the last four years – the Casey/Sprott Summit in Carlsbad, CA, kicked off, treating 300 attendees to an analysis of the real state of the economy.
Personally, as someone who doesn't believe in the notion that "ignorance is bliss," and who likes to know the facts, even if they may not be pleasant, I much prefer the somber revelations of the Summit (which are always coupled with actionable advice) to the make-believe buzz of the party conventions - conducted in a sort of eerie adult version of Mr. Rogers' neighborhood where the sky is always blue, the economy always on the mend, and the future always bright.
So, what's the real state of the union now (and beyond)?
No surprise: it isn't good.
Right at the outset, Casey chief economist and human energy dynamo Bud Conrad unleashed a blizzard of charts and graphs showing where we are and where we're headed if present trends continue. But perhaps most telling of all was the simplest chart of the day: the gold price as of Friday morning. Up $40/oz. in response to another dismal US jobs report.
If gold is not exhibiting a breakout from its six months of range-bound behavior, then it's doing a decent imitation thereof. Those who were still clearing away their sleep fog, and who had not yet seen the morning news, responded with a collective aaaaah… Most, if not all of us, hold at least 10% of our assets in precious metals, and many have an even greater commitment to hard money.
We're all a little wealthier today. Or maybe a lot wealthier, depending on your point of reference. As Eric Sprott, CEO of Sprott Asset Management, would mention later that he began buying gold at $260. So that portion of his holding rose 15% in an hour.
Since this conference is all about the effect of political meddling on the economy, it also seemed fitting for Bud to note that one of his college classmates was Dick Cheney. But whereas Cheney was even then plotting how to amass political power, Bud was playing with his slide rule (remember those?), crunching numbers.
Today, thankfully, Dick Cheney has been retired as a public nuisance, but Bud Conrad, thankfully, is still crunching those numbers. At the Summit, he reconfirmed what he's been saying for a long time: The ship of state is still heading for the iceberg… and that iceberg looms closer by the day.
The US national debt has far outpaced the government's ability to pay it off. It's unsustainable – and made continuously worse by the Federal Reserve, which pushes more and more debt onto its balance sheet, blowing up an ever bigger bubble. And judging from Bud's numbers, the resulting pop! will be one that will make the entire globe's ears ring. Or, to use another ghastly metaphor, those ever-optimistic government shills are not just putting lipstick on the proverbial sow, they're slathering stage makeup on a carcass.
Eric Sprott spoke next, fresh off a team victory in the golf tournament that his company sponsored on Thursday, and in which a number of conference attendees participated. Full disclosure: my own team did not win. But no sour grapes here. However, when the boss's team wins his own tournament, well… I have to say that questions will be raised.
More to the point, Eric reminded us of the difference between liquidation and bailout. As he points out, the last liquidation event on Wall Street was the collapse of Lehman Brothers. Since then, bailouts have been the order of the day. Which says as much about the health of the financial sector as it does about the banks' friendly relations with Washington.
In liquidation, the true value of an institution's assets is revealed, says Eric, and obviously, that was an unacceptable prospect for the government and its cronies. Can't let the public see just how much junk is still being carried on balance sheets at above-market values – better to keep the "Too big to fails" afloat, by hook or by crook.
He is convinced that the real death knell for the current financial system just may have been sounded by the emergence of NIRP (Negative Interest Rate Policy). In July, the German government was able to sell bonds with a negative interest rate – in other words, when the bonds reach maturity in two years, investors will get 0.06% less than they put in. They're ironclad guaranteed to lose money.
And yet people have gobbled up those "investments," content to park cash in German bonds that will lose less (or so they believe) than the bonds of other, shakier Eurozone countries with a high positive coupon rate. Or, alternatively, they may be betting on the collapse of the euro and subsequent settling of their bonds in more stable new Deutsche marks. In either event, NIRP is not a healthy sign for the Zone.
Consequently, Eric is highly invested in gold. And in what he terms the investment of the coming decade: silver.
Another two speakers with no love lost for the government and Federal Reserve were Dr. Lacy Hunt, of Hoisington Investment Management, and G. Edward Griffin, author of the wildly popular book The Creature from Jekyll Island.
Dr. Hunt called the Fed a failure because it hasn't met its goal of ensuring currency stability. He argued that the dollar has lost 97% of its value since the Fed was wished into being by a group of bankers in 1913. (Overall, the previous century had seen an actual appreciation of the dollar's value.)
G. Edward Griffin didn't quite agree with that analysis – he believes that the Federal Reserve has been vastly successful. The problem is, he says, that most of the American public has no idea what it actually is that the Fed is set out to do. Their mandate is not, says Griffin, to ensure currency stability or keep the US economy afloat. Instead, since its inception, the Fed has only had one purpose, he claims: to serve its member banks.
What many Americans don't know is that the Federal Reserve is not a full-fledged government agency but a hybrid of government affiliate and private banking cartel controlling and manipulating the price of money. And that primarily benefits those who get first access to each fresh dollar conjured from thin air.
Griffin makes no secret of his conviction that the Fed is a criminal organization, engaged in the legalized plunder of the American population. Through excessive money printing and the ensuing inflation, the Fed is basically imposing a massive tax. It's a stealth tax, says Griffin – but as old Will so aptly stated, a rose is still a rose by any other name.
The public, says Griffin, has been completely hoodwinked as to what's happening, namely that they are being robbed on a massive scale. Since the gold standard was abandoned in 1971, the dollar has lost 80% of its value. If this kind of larceny had been done out in the open – say, by the government imposing an 80% income tax for 40 years – we would have had another "Off with their heads" French Revolution in Washington a long time ago.
If Griffin's arguments left any shreds of trust in the US government, they were swept away by the Hoover Institute's Peter Schweizer. Schweizer, author of the instant best-seller Throw Them All Out, demonstrated how members of Congress can arrive in Washington as middle-class citizens and leave a few years later with millions in the bank. Their "secret of success": due to convenient loopholes, it is perfectly legal for our nation's finest to act and trade on insider information they hear in closed-door meetings. Accordingly, the crash of 2008 that nearly bankrupted many ordinary investors, says Schweizer, made a lot of legislators from both sides of the aisle a fortune.
After all those eye-opening and rather dismal revelations, several speakers were asked by the audience how much of their portfolio should be devoted to the ultimate crisis hedge, precious metals. Bud Conrad's answer: 50%. G. Edward Griffin: 51%. Eric Sprott: "I'm all in."
This is no doubt one of the most interesting Casey Summits I've ever attended. If you're not here with us, you don't have to miss out entirely, though. As in the previous years, we're audio recording every presentation, panel discussion, and stock recommendation from our blue-ribbon faculty. And until the Summit ends on Sunday, you can still pre-order those recordings (on CD and MP3) for $100 less than the regular price we'll charge after the Summit.
More about our speakers, topics and the Summit CD collection here.
If you're one of the summit attendees interested in listening to your favorite presentations again, order your audio collections on-site to get the attendee discount.


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Last year when the Elite Series was on the St. Johns River, Rick Morris, like almost everyone else, stuck with sight fishing.
This year? Forget it. He refused to go after the bass on beds, not after a 91st-place finish in the 2011 competition and not after this week's practice. He saw nothing but empty beds.
"I decided to go to power fishing," he said.
It worked: He sacked 21-12 for fourth place Thursday. To do it, Morris said he covered a lot of water, at one point keying on a reaction bite from postspawn bass. That's how he hooked into the 7-pounder he brought to the scales. He culled four times, including a 12-incher he turned back when his last cast of the day produced a bigger bass.
"I'm really happy with my day. It's the best I've ever done in Florida — other than second place in the 2006 Bassmaster Classic (on Lake Tohopekaliga)," said Morris, who lives in Lake Gaston, Va.