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Committee of the Whole
Thursday, January 31, 2008 at 6:00 p.m.
Veteran's Memorial Building, Room 204
649 San Benito Street, Hollister
(Directions to Veteran's Memorial Building)
OPEN SESSION 6:00 p.m.
PUBLIC COMMENTS - Individuals wishing to address the Board on a non-agenda item may do so during the Comments from the Public. However, no action may be taken on an item, which is not on the agenda. The public is welcome to address the Board on particular agenda items and may do so at the time it is presented. Guidelines for Comments from the Public will be as follows:
A maximum of 5 minutes will be allotted to each speaker with a maximum of 20 minutes to a subject area.
AGENDA ITEMS - Individuals wishing to have an item appear on the agenda must submit the request in writing to the Superintendent/President two weeks prior to the regularly scheduled meeting. The Board President and Superintendent/President will determine what items will be included in the agendas. Regular meetings are held the second Tuesday of each month.
Items listed under the Consent Agenda are considered to be routine and are acted on by the Board of Trustees as one motion. There is no discussion of these items prior to Board vote unless a member of the Board, staff, or public requests that specific items be discussed and/or removed from the Consent Agenda. It is understood that the Administration recommends approval on all consent items. Each item on the Consent Agenda approved by the Board of Trustees shall be deemed to have been considered in full and adopted as recommended.
In compliance with the Americans with Disabilities Act, if you need special assistance to access the Board meeting room or to otherwise participate at this meeting, including auxiliary aids or services, please contact Suzanne Bullé at 408-848-4711. Notification at least 48 hours prior to the meeting will enable the District to make reasonable arrangements to ensure accessibility to the Board meeting.
Please help keep Gavilan College a litter-free campus and preserve its park-like setting.
Thank you.


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TEL AVIV – Contrary to claims of an Israeli electoral shift to more moderate, middle ground, the new government to be formed by Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu is projected to retain its right-wing reticence for a Palestinian peace deal and its insular, threat-driven approach to strategic changes sweeping the region.
At best, political scientists and experts here are depicting Netanyahu's next term as right-light, presuming he honors a Jan. 23 pledge to form "as broad a government as possible" to bring about changes demanded by a disgruntled electorate.
In postelection interviews, experts cautioned against drawing false conclusions from the Jan. 22 ballot, which stripped Netanyahu's merged Likud-Israel Our Home party of 11 seats and ostensibly restored a near balance between the 61-seat voting bloc of the Israeli right to the 59 seats constituting the center-left.
Netanyahu needs to supplement the 31 seats secured in last week's election with at least an additional 30 to meet minimum government control of Israel's 120-seat parliament. He has already initiated coalition discussions with party leaders across the political spectrum to fortify his presumptive government's chances of surviving a full four-year term.
But in an election driven largely by Israel's domestic agenda, labels are deceiving, and hardly reflect a broad-based repudiation of Israel's current political-military course.
Rather, last week's ballot marked a stinging rebuke of Netanyahu's pandering to Israel's draft-evading Haredi religious sector and his failure to enact meaningful reforms demanded by the mass social protests from summer 2011.
"Make no mistake, this election was not a referendum on war and peace," said Ron Ben-Yishai, a veteran political and security analyst.
In a Jan. 23 interview, Ben-Yishai said international observers should not expect "any breakthroughs" toward a Palestinian peace deal or new, diplomatic strategies for coping with strategic challenges in the region. "On diplomatic issues, we may see some changes in nuance…. Hopefully, the coalition will be more reasonable and sane; less willing to go head-to-head with the United States."
Misleading Labels
In Israel's next government, centrist labels can actually mean right, as in the case of Yair Lapid, the surprise victor in last week's ballot with 19 seats for his Yesh Atid (There is a Future) party.
Lapid, a celebrity broadcaster, author and entertainer, campaigned on improved education and more equitable sharing of the military burden and social benefits now favoring Israel's highly subsidized ultra-religious sector. Lapid now controls the second-largest voting bloc, behind Netanyahu's 31 seats, and several choice ministerial portfolios are his for the taking in a presumptive Netanyahu-led center-right government.
But how centrist is the political newcomer? Like Netanyahu and the few remaining non-ultra right members of his Likud party, Lapid endorses unconditional negotiations toward a two-state solution to the Palestinian conflict. But like the most pedigreed right-wingers, he rejects compromise on Jerusalem and supports continued construction in major Jewish settlement blocks of the occupied West Bank.
On issues of regional security, Lapid is considered a centrist hawk. While critical of the red lines that Netanyahu wants to set for military action against Iran, he has not made a campaign issue of Israel's growing diplomatic isolation or the prime minister's strained ties with U.S. President Barack Obama.
Alternatively, center-left can mean nothing, as evidenced by the enigmatic foreign policy platform of opposition Labor Party leader Shelly Yachimovich, whose 15 seats were secured solely on social issues.
And in the case of Naftali Bennett, whose ultra-nationalist Jewish Homeland party garnered 12 seats in last week's ballot, far right was marketed as mainstream while parts of its platform tilted toward fascism, if not messianism.
Aside from the party's purported God-given claim to settle in all of the country, Jewish Homeland vows to revamp Israel's Supreme Court, which it derides for being "historically dominated for generations by the liberal left." The party also aims to correct "the over-judicialization of Israel… through excessive intervention [of courts and the state attorney] in the policy-making and spirit… of the Jewish and Zionist values of the country."
Bennett, a young, modern Orthodox former Seyeret Matkal commando from the suburbs, made millions from the sale of his high-tech startup firm before serving a short stint as Netanyahu's senior staffer. He controls the fourth-largest voting bloc, mainly by siphoning votes from Likud and other supporters not fully aware of his party's radical slant.
With the exception of Arab sectorial parties and left-wing Meretz – the flag bearer of Israel's peace camp with its unequivocal calls for an end to the West Bank occupation – voters did not respond well to calls for a significant reversal of Israel's political-military course.
Meretz doubled its representation from three to six seats.
No Traction
Centrist parties led by Tzipi Livni, a former foreign minister, and Shaul Mofaz, a former defense minister, that targeted Netanyahu's security agenda got little satisfaction at the polls.
Livni – the big star of Israel's last election, who actually won more votes than Netanyahu, but failed to cobble together a coalition government – managed a mere six seats in her latest incarnation.
Mofaz – who succeeded Livni as head of what remained of the Centrist Kadima party of former prime ministers Ariel Sharon and Ehud Olmert – eked into the next government with an anemic two-seat mandate.
"Those who campaigned on diplomacy got no traction at the polls. Look what happened to Livni, not to mention Mofaz," said Efraim Inbar, a professor of political science and director of the Begin Sadat Center for Strategic Studies at Bar Ilan University.
In a Jan. 23 interview, Inbar noted that a significant share of votes for Lapid, a so-called centrist, and Bennett, the right-wing nationalist, would have gone to Netanyahu. "Many of them were Netanyahu supporters who knew Netanyahu would be the prime minister and, for various reasons, allowed themselves to vote for other parties."
As for the perceived shift to the more moderate center, Inbar replied: "It's nonsense to say that the Israeli public is shifting away from the consensus that we have to block a nuclear Iran, we have to be strong in the face of terrorism, and that the Palestinian issue should stay on the back burner until there is a partner for negotiations."

subset: commoncrawl


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The Paraprofessionals and Cafeteria Technicians were honored recently with a
special dinner, gifts, cards, and expressions of gratefulness for the numerous ways that they help H. V. Adams be an outstanding school. The support staff at Adams is a vital part of the faculty that is sometimes overlooked. However, they are very necessary. Because they are so mobile at the school, it was hard to pull off the special day that was planned.
In order to show our gratitude to these elite groups, the rest of the staff provided items for the gift baskets and the Taco Stack-Up dinner, which also included drinks and desserts. The surprise luncheon was an encouraging and timely event that was enjoyed by everyone. The Paras and Superheroes said, "This expression of love would make the last weeks of school easier to endure."


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A letter from Deputy Agriculture Secretary Charles Conner reminded me of a quote attributed to the scoundrel who was ridden out of town on a rail: "If it wasn't for the honor of it, I would just as soon have skipped the whole thing."
No reporter likes having his work criticized, especially by the No. 2 official at USDA, but I must admit I felt a little better after listening to Senate Agriculture Committee Chairman Tom Harkin's telephone briefing the other day.
In May, Conner wrote a letter to the editor taking us to task for a column on the Bush administration's claim that its farm bill proposal would deliver $5 billion more in farm program benefits while saving $10 billion. The column called the plan "voodoo economics."
Conner said the administration's approach was preferable to Congress' use of reserve funds, which, he said, essentially were a checking account with a zero balance that would require funding outside of agriculture.
House leaders found those funds in a tax code provision that allows foreign-owned corporations to transfer U.S. earnings to countries with lower tax rates. They also earmarked oil royalties that were under-collected in the 1990s for renewable energy programs.
Conner's boss, Secretary Mike Johanns, and House Republicans labeled the move a tax increase, and Johanns said he would recommend President Bush veto the House-passed farm bill.
In his press briefing July 31, Harkin, asked if the Senate version of the new farm bill would be "different enough" to avoid a similar threat, said he thought Johanns' comments were ill-considered.
"If this veto threat is based on the fact that we're over the baseline, the administration's bill is over baseline," he said. "I mean it's just a question of how much over baseline. They don't come into this with clean hands, you know."
Asked about the secretary's claims that the $5 billion increase in the administration farm bill would be offset by savings in the out years, Harkin said: "Well, they've never said where they got that money. It's just sort of there, but they've never said where they were going to get it. If they have some specifics, they should tell us what they are."
To be fair, Conner's letter said "anyone who wants to know how we propose to accomplish the additional spending can look to the back of our farm bill proposal book and see it clearly laid out in black and white."
The latter lists a number of proposals, including a $4.5 billion reduction in marketing assistance loans, a $1.5 billion cut in food stamps (by streamlining the program) and a $2.45 billion reduction in crop insurance spending.
Part of the marketing loan savings would come from reducing the cotton loan rate from 52 cents to 45 cents a pound, a move many lenders say would decimate the cotton economy in the South. That may help explain why it's in the back of the book.


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Monday, August 15, 2011
Soooo behind on life
15 comments:
- whitneyingram said...
We have a Violet Jr. too and Vi LOVES hers as well. Call her "Baby!"
- August 15, 2011 at 8:57 PM
- Melinda said...
Oh wow, that is darling! Did she make the matching outfit as well? And I just have to say, I am SO jealous of Davy's beautiful hair! Wowzers, she has some good hair! :)
- August 15, 2011 at 10:05 PM
I love Davy's smile!! And that doll is a must have for Mila. I'll have to start saving now :)
- August 15, 2011 at 10:12 PM
- Elizabeth said...
LOVE that picture of Davy giving her dolly some sugar! Too precious!
- August 16, 2011 at 8:47 AM
- Ora said...
Ca-ute! Her other dolls are amazing as well! I can get my crafty craft on, but nothing like that. Glad to see you all are still alive and well. This summer has been a crazy one for us as well.
- August 16, 2011 at 9:26 AM
- Debby said...
How adorable. Two cute doll babies. Davy has the best smile and I agree that hair is amazing.
I did contact your cousin. I think my granddaughters would love her dolls.
- August 16, 2011 at 10:38 AM
- Melany said...
love the little twinners! that is so sweet of your cousin. i just got penny a doll super similar to this one at a farmer's market. i'm saving it for her bday next month, i'm hoping she'll love on it as much as davy does! such cute pic ruth.
- August 16, 2011 at 4:46 PM
- Wynn_Anne Sibbald said...
I think those are the happiest pictures you've ever posted of Davy. Love the one with her head back, laughing. Beautiful.
- August 16, 2011 at 5:35 PM
- Beth said...
LOVE these pictures of your 2 little dolls!!!
- August 16, 2011 at 7:28 PM
- dmorganfam said...
That is absolutely adorable!
- August 16, 2011 at 8:51 PM
These pictures are soooo cute! I love how they are just matchy matchy. Adorable!
- August 17, 2011 at 12:34 PM
- Sue said...
Ahhhh...these pictures are precious!
- August 18, 2011 at 10:08 AM
- Jax @ AlyandAsh said...
The cutest thing I have ever seen!!!!
- August 21, 2011 at 5:43 AM
- Georgia said...
SERIOUSLY....cutest pictures yet of Davy. Love how happy she looks with her doll.
- August 21, 2011 at 8:39 AM
- Lena said...
Davy and Davy Jr. look so cute together. How wonderful to see Davy's smile.
- September 3, 2011 at 8:12 AM


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This article or section needs more/new/more-detailed sources to conform to a higher standard and to provide proof for claims made.
|General Information
|Central Misty Mountains
|Orc chiefdoms of the Misty Mountains
|People and History
|Orcs of the Misty Mountains
|Thorin and company are captured by the Great Goblin
|Images of Goblin-town
Goblin-town was a Goblin (or Orc) dwelling which lay under the High Pass in the Misty Mountains, ruled by the Great Goblin.
During the journey to Lonely Mountain, Bilbo Baggins was captured by the Goblins of Goblin-town together with the Dwarves of Thorin and Company. They were brought before the Great Goblin, who accused them of spying, and was enraged when he found out that Thorin was carrying Orcrist, a sword the Great Goblin remembered from Gondolin. With the help of Gandalf, the Great Goblin was slain and Bilbo and the Dwarves escape, pursued by force of Goblins.
Goblin-town was a series of tunnels and caverns, which went all the way through the mountains, with a "back door" near the Eagles' eyrie in Wilderland. The cave of Gollum was close to this door.
Portrayal in adaptations
In both The Hobbit (1977 film) and David T. Wenzel's The Hobbit, Goblin-town is, like in the book, a set of tunnels and caverns. In the 2003 video game version, is was changed to a giant Dwarven mining complex with many lifts, bridges and train carts to spice up the action of the level.


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Code: RDP 49296
Brand: Ranger
- Product Details
Ranger-Dye Ink Pads. These water based dye inks are both fade resistant and waterproof when dry. The cushioned, raised felt pad is the best surface for inking up stamps of all kinds. They feature on trend colours making them a great addition to any crafter's color assortment. Palette coordinates with the Ranger Acrylic Paint Dabbers (sold separately).
This package contains one 3x2 inch ink pad. Comes in a variety of colours.
Each sold separately. Acid free. Non-toxic. Conforms to ASTM D 4236. Made in USA.
This Dye Ink Pad is called Lavender Field.
- Delivery & Returns
Shipping costs will vary according to the value of your order. If you're from the UK, you will pay no more than £3.95. However, if your order value exceeds £20 then standard delivery is FREE!
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If you are a Loyalty Club Member, priority dispatch and shipping discounts are available. Click here to join our Loyalty Club - it's absolutely FREE and there are loads of other exciting benefits for members!!


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Google Destroyed Missent Bank Info Email Unopened... As More Legal Questions Are Raised
from the still-doesn't-make-sense deptLast week, Google was ordered to deactivate someone's Gmail account, because Rocky Mountain Bank had totally screwed up and sent the Gmail account holder an email by accident, which contained all sorts of confidential information. It's still not at all clear how Rocky Mountain Bank made such a monumental screw up, but we'll leave that aside for now. On Monday, the two companies asked the judge for permission to restore the email, after they realized that the email in question had never been opened, and Google had deleted it from its servers. Case closed?
Well... not so fast. Paul Alan Levy, from Public Citizen, sees a number of serious problems with the whole episode, starting with the legal complaint in the first place -- which offered no opportunity for the email account user to speak up and argue for his or her own rights, against having the account deactivated. But just the legal proceedings themselves suffered from some serious problems:
First, the complaint. Rocky's complaint is based on the contention that, having botched its obligation to keep its own customers information secret, it was obligated under various state and federal banking regulations to seek to recover the information and prevent its further dissemination. The complaint further alleges that regulatory officials expressed their endorsement of efforts by the Bank to protect the confidentiality of the information. The complaint sought a declaratory judgment that Rocky Mountain was entitled to information about the account holder, and that Google was obligated to prevent use of the information sent to the account. It sought an injunction enjoining Google and the account holder from accessing or distributing the information mistakenly sent to the email account, and compelling Google to identify the account holder. But curiously absent from the complaint was any allegation about how either Google or the owner of the gmail account had violated the plaintiff's rights, or any assertion of a cause of action against either Google or the anonymous account holder, that would form the basis for granting relief against either. Nor did Rocky Mountain's papers explain why section 230 of the Communications Decency Act entitled it to bring an action against Google, or to obtain any relief against Google, even assuming that it had a claim against the gmail account holder. Without a cause of action and without a violation of the plaintiff's rights, why was Rocky Mountain entitled to relief, and why should the defendants be subjected to an injunction? Neither the complaint, nor the brief in support of the TRO, explains this.Oops. And, from there, Levy also wonders why Google was so quick to roll over without trying to defend the user's rights:
Second, the lack of federal court jurisdiction. Although the complaint identified only Google as a defendant, Rocky Mountain asked for relief against the anonymous gmail account holder, which is obviously, therefore, a defendant just as Google was. Indeed, if either Google or the account holder was the right defendant here, it is the account holder. But this poses a serious problem, because the law is clear that a Doe defendant cannot be sued under diversity jurisdiction. If there had been any party with any incentive to protect the Doe's rights in this case, that party could have pointed this jurisdictional defect out to the Court, which would therefore have been obligated to dismiss the case instead of issuing a TRO.
Rocky Mountain's papers recount that it asked Google for help freezing the account and identifying the account holder but that Google refused to do so without "a valid third party subpoena or other appropriate legal process." Yet despite the filing of plainly defective papers, there is no indication in the publicly filed papers that Google either opposed the requested order or insisted that it be given the opportunity to notify the Doe gmail user so that he or she could obtain counsel and oppose the requested order. Nor do the papers contain any discussion of efforts to notify either Google or the anonymous user about the requested order, even though Rule 65(b)(1) of the Federal Rules of Civil Procedure requires either notice to the parties sought to be enjoined, or a compelling explanation of why notice was not possible. (Because the Bank noticed the problem on August 13, and waited until September 17 to file its suit, it is hard to believe that a few more days' delay to give proper notice would have been catastrophic). And within a day of the issuance of the order (one day before the compliance deadline), Google provided the court with a document explaining how it had complied with the TRO and asked, jointly with Rocky Mountain, that the TRO be vacated.Indeed. It's certainly understandable why everyone wanted to make sure the data was not compromised, and in this case, it sounds like the account in question was probably inactive or rarely used (or the email went to spam). So everything may have ended up okay. But that's no excuse for potential violations of an individual's rights in trying to correct a mistake by the bank.
Filed Under: confidential information, court order, deactivated, email
Companies: google, rocky mountain bank


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I don't think I've ever made a post solely for the purposes of recruiting before, but there's a first time for everything. After a 6-month break, graduations, births, and new jobs, the team is back together and looking for more!
Leave the Drama to the Actors
Basic Information
10-man Alliance, Moonrunner-US
Founded July 2007
Raid Times
Sunday 5 p.m. – 9 p.m. PST
All raiding content (heroic) and raid achievements completed by the end of the expansion.
This is a change from our previous raiding experience as a ranked heroic mode guild.
The Group
Production Company is primarily a group of adult, working professionals. Although we are reducing our raid hours per week the type of player we want to raid with remains the same: self-motivated, self-correcting, and dedicated players who strive to improve their performance week after week. Guild activities vary and are largely at the discretion of individual members. There is little directed activity outside of the raid.
Raiding with Production Company is all about maximizing encounter time. Members are expected to be able to dedicate themselves to the raid time when they are able to attend. Flasks/potions/feasts/repairs/enchants are provided for raid-ready members. Breaks are scheduled on an hourly basis. Since raiders are responsible for their own performance and improvement, errors will not be pointed out–we expect you know what you're doing wrong and act accordingly.
Current Openings
- Tank with fully capable DPS specialization. Shield tanks preferable.
- Healer (2). Low desire for druids.
- DPS (variable). Low desire for mage/rogue.
Get in Touch
If this sounds like the type of raid group and schedule you're looking for, you can contact our team in a variety of ways.
Just start a new thread in the Casting Couch forum titled "Questions." Our official application hasn't been updated to reflect the new schedule, but it can still be used if you're ready to apply.
- Contact a member in-game.
My battletag is Windsoar#1521
Otherwise, just track down someone within the guild.
- Contact by e-mail
Official/GM: 10manraiding @ gmail.com
Mine: windsoar.jadedalt @ gmail.com


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The Transporter Malfunction
Penny buys Leonard and Sheldon "Star Trek" collectibles as a thank-you, leading Sheldon to be haunted by Mr. Spock. "Star Trek" legend Leonard Nimoy voices Mr. Spock. Pictured left to right: (seated front row) Melissa Rauch, Johnny Galecki, Leonard Nimoy and Jim Parsons (back row) Kunal Nayyar, Simon Helberg and Kaley Cuoco.


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DuBois wins District behind Henry's shutout
DUBOIS — DuBois pitcher Rachel Henry threw a complete game shutout, allowing only three hits and striking out eight, to defeat Punxsy 5-0 in the District 10 championship in the Junior League Softball division Wednesday night in DuBois.
Henry allowed two of the three hits in the first two innings and seemed to throw better as the game went on, allowing only one more hit on a come-backer that she just could not handle in the seventh.
"The girls played hard, and they're battlers," Punxsy manager Randy Reitz said. "We just ran into a hot pitcher tonight. She really just dominated us. We had maybe four or five hard hits, and I mean, we put the bat on the ball, but we just couldn't put together any hits back-to-back to score any runs."
Ivy Phillips started the game in the circle for Punxsy, and pitched a solid, complete game, but DuBois was able to get to her on a few occasions and made the most of its opportunities.
Phillips allowed five runs on eight hits, striking out five and walking one.
Both pitchers looked nearly untouchable through the first three innings, with Phillips allowing no hits through three innings, and Henry allowing only one in each of the first two innings.
DuBois was able to manage a run off Phillips in the top of the fourth, though, when Henry helped herself with a leadoff triple over Lexi Cielo's head in right field.
Sierra McKee followed Henry's triple with a shot of her own to right field, but Cielo made a nice play to stop her from reaching base. Henry scored on the sacrifice.
Phillips allowed two more hits after that, both singles to Anne Katchmarchi and Megan Betton, but struck the next two batters out looking to retire the side with no further damage.
DuBois kept rolling in the top of the fifth with their most productive inning, scoring three runs on four hits.
Rachelle Kruzelak led off the inning with a single down the right field line, and Cheyenne McKee followed with one of her own.
Sierra McKee hit a rocket to deep right-center field for a triple, scoring both runners.
"The ball she hit was about a foot outside," Reitz said, "and she drove it to right-center, and that just took a little air out of us."
Katchmarchi followed with an RBI-single to push DuBois' lead to four runs.
DuBois earned its last run in the top of the seventh when Cheyenne McKee led off with a double. Henry laid down a sacrifice bunt to move her to third, and she scored on a sacrifice fly to right field by Sierra McKee.
Reitz had nothing but positive things to say to his girls after the game.
"I told them, 'You girls were competitive. Noone likes to lose, but you played hard, and you have nothing to be ashamed of. Hold your heads high,'" he said.
Punxsy was eliminated from the All-Star tournament with the loss, and DuBois earned the District 10 championship. Each team was presented with its District 10 pins after the game, and DuBois was granted the championship banner.


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Beginning January 12, 2016, outdated versions of Internet Explorer will no longer be supported and your browsing security may be compromised. For more information click here
Investment Basics
To be a successful investor you don't need a fortune
to invest, years of experience, subscriptions to the best investing newsletters,
and the time to read them. All you need is a good mutual fund manager.
Mutual funds are composed of investors just like you who have mutually
decided to pool their money and hire a professional investment manager.
You don't even have to round up all your friends and convince them to
invest with you. Existing mutual funds are offered by investment companies,
banks, trust companies, credit unions, insurance companies, even professional
The main advantages of mutual funds are professional management and investment
diversification. Because mutual funds are generally regarded as long-term
investments, you don't have to worry about them daily. By not centralising
all your funds in one specific stock or bond, you reduce your risks while
increasing the possibility of gains.
Mutual funds have specific objectives. Some may concentrate on speculative
growth investments, others on preservation of capital and a steady income.
The trick is to find a fund that shares your objectives. Mutual fund portfolios
may include common stocks, preferred shares, bonds, treasury bills, precious
metals, and real estate in any combination.
Day-to-day investment decisions are made by the fund manager who decides
the asset mix within the objectives of the fund.
Open and Closed Funds
Most funds are open-ended, which means there is an unlimited number of
units offered and investors are able to contribute and withdraw money
whenever they choose. The amount contributed is divided by the current
unit value to determine how many units are purchased. The amount withdrawn
is divided by the current unit value to determine how many units are to
be redeemed.
With open funds, you have the additional option of reinvesting proceeds
from the fund, such as dividends, or receiving the proceeds outside the
Some funds are closed-ended, which means there is a fixed number of units
for sale. Closed funds are usually traded on an open stock exchange for
less than their underlying value, and you can't buy or sell unless there
is another willing seller or buyer.
How Do I Know How My Investment is Doing?
The total value of the fund is called the net asset value, or NAV. This
is calculated by taking all the fund's investments at market value and
subtracting management fees. Dividing the NAV by the number of units sold
determines the net asset value per share, or NAVPS.
The NAVPS is calculated on a daily or weekly basis (except for real estate
funds, calculated monthly) and printed in the mutual fund tables of newspapers
such as the Report on Business section of The Globe and Mail.
You may also receive quarterly and annual reports on the performance
of the fund and, if you choose automatic reinvestment of any proceeds,
notices of the additional shares purchased.
What Are the Costs for Mutual Funds?
There are varying costs for mutual fund professional management. There
may be commissions on the purchase of units, which are payable either
to a broker or directly to the fund management company as a "front-end
load". Front-end loads are usually negotiable. There may be redemption
fees for withdrawals called "back-end loads" calculated on your original
capital investment or the market value. Back-end loads usually decline
the longer you keep your money in the fund.
There are on-going management fees charged by the fund manager for research,
buying and selling investments for the fund, and issuing reports. These
generally range from 1% to 3% of the fund's total assets for the year.
Fees do not always reflect the performance of the fund. Since mutual funds
are generally regarded as long-term investments, annual management fees
are usually more important than loads.
So, Are Mutual Funds for Me?
Professional management, diversification, and long-term gains are the
benefits of mutual funds. Your financial advisor or broker can advise
you on which mutual funds are best for you and your investment goals.
If you would prefer spending time with your children or learning to play
the zither rather than poring over daily investment reports, then mutual
funds may be for you.
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Jet opened up SC Viper for the marketing team here at Airsoft GI to get in a few private games last week. We had a lot of cameras present and tried a new look for the GITV action videos. Check it out!
Moderator: ASGI Tim
Hans.landa wrote:I wish i had stuff like this in FL...
Hans.landa wrote:its funny how california gets all the airsoft fun yet the state itself is hostile to the sport with the senate bills and all... maybe its time to move airsoft gi?
Nah, i know the LA port connects to all of Asia, california is a strategic point
maybe airsoft gi, eastern division? xD
Hans.landa wrote:I wish i had stuff like this in FL...
timbuktoo wrote:are you kidding it totally exists. james bond had one.
link236 wrote:We're really not "ASGI" lovers on this forum. We're just like any other airsoft forum, but we happened to be called the "ASGI forums."
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Top 25 Products for Truck Guys From CES
Making Technology Work for You
The Consumer Electronics show isn't traditionally considered a venue for truck guys. It's generally seen as a place where big TVs and game consoles are on display. Yet we discovered at this year's show plenty of gadgets are out there that can make life easier; here are the 25 best from the show. There are tough components built for hard work, gear for long-distance travel, products for shops and garages, cool items for camping and the outdoors, and much more. Whether you've grudgingly given in to the smartphone era or have completely embraced the digital age, there's bound to be something here for you. Since the show is often a preview of things that will be on sale in the future, pricing was not yet available for these products.
1) Durabook
GammaTech's Durabook CA10 semi-rugged tablet is dust-, water-, drop-, and shock-resistant (it meets Military 810G and IP43 standards and withstood drop tests from four feet). It has a 10.1-inch TFT LCD display, and its battery setup provides 8 hours of power. The tablet was designed with mobile service in mind, including fleet management, field service workers (like those who work in the utilities), and delivery services. It offers wireless connectivity, and features like a bar-code scanner, credit card reader, and GPS technology are available. It will work in temperatures as low as 0 degrees F.
2) ZoneGuard +
Eton is a company known for equipment that can be helpful when camping or in an emergency. One of the newest products the company offers the American Red Cross ZoneGuard +. It includes an AM/FM radio, alarm clock, provides NOAA weather alerts, has color-coded light alerts, and uses S.A.M.E. technology. With S.A.M.E., enter your county code, and ZoneGuard + will inform you of local weather advisories, warnings, and watches, for up to 25 different locations. There is a base station and two wireless battery-powered modules that can be used in different areas of your property, such as in the garage or the barn. All can be powered by AC adapter or AA batteries.
Eton Corporation
These are a cost-effective alternative to other waterproof containers already on the market. aLOKSAK bags are resealable, flexible, and also air- and dustproof. You can use them to store valuables and electronics while camping, out on the boat, or in the snow or mud, and you can still use anything with a touch screen while it's in the bag. aLOKSAK is certified waterproof to 200 feet. Other products include OPSAK (also seals in odors), SPLASHSAK (nylon carrying cases), and SHIELDSAK (RF shield pouch).
4) Endure
If you enjoy working in the garage or outside, but don't like having to cradle the phone between your ear and shoulder while working with tools, a Bluetooth headset is a DIYer's best solution. You can answer the phone when it rings, yet still work on your project without interruption. BlueAnt's Endure is a rugged Bluetooth headset that provides clear audio in winds up to 25 mph, and is protected against dust and moisture. The headset will announce the name of the caller; you can say "Answer" or "Ignore."
5) Garmin Fleet Management
Garmin introduced a portable fleet-management GPS. The fleet 590 allows fleet owners to track their trucks and observe the driving habits of the drivers. It uses a 5-inch touch screen, "black box," cable, and antenna, can be used for communication between HQ and a driver, and was designed to be easy to move from one vehicle in the fleet to another. The system allows fleet owners to track vehicles 24 hours a day, making sure that deliveries are on schedule and that supplies are getting where they're supposed to get, on time. There's also an electronic time clock, so data about the job can be logged on site. In addition, monitoring driving behavior can help pinpoint causes of wear and tear on the fleet, and can help the trucks last longer. The fleet 590 can also improve fuel efficiency by detecting excessive engine idling.
Garmin International
6) Flower Power
Don't let the light-hearted name fool you; the Flower Power is a serious tool. It can help everyone from landscapers and orchard operators to guys who want the greenest lawn on the block. Each unit is a smart wireless sensor. Place the sensor at the base of the plant -- which can include trees, flowers, fruit and vegetables, and grass -- and it measures sunlight, humidity, temperature, and fertilizer. You use a smartphone or tablet with a free app, enter the type of plant the Flower Power is monitoring, and it uses the data, sent by Bluetooth, to let you know if the plants need to be taken care of. Parrot's library includes more than 6000 plants, so you can get highly accurate data about your specific plant species.
7) Escort MobileTV
Not every RV or camper has a TV. However, Escort has a way that you can watch television while on the road. MobileTV is a digital receiver that lets you watch live television on iPods, iPads, and iPhones. Download a free app, connect the small receiver (1.3x1.6x0.5 inches, 0.65 oz) to the Apple device, launch the app, and watch TV. As of press time, MobileTV television service was available in 35 cities, with more coming. There's no subscription fee through 2013, and no wi-fi or data plan is required.
8) RoadMate
Magellan introduced new versions of its GPS devices for RVs and big-rigs, now both with smaller screens than before to make it easier to mount on a smaller dashboard. Seen here is the RoadMate Commercial 5370T-LMB GPS, with a 5-inch screen. It comes with a variety of features for professional drivers, such as truck-specific multi-destination routing that you can customize, a driving status log, state miles report, and Bluetooth. The RV model comes with the Good Sam Campground Directory and will let you plan your route based on the size category (A, B, C, etc.), type, and dimensions of your vehicle.
9) Energi Backpack
You're about ready to go on a camping trip, but aren't sure how to keep all your electronic devices charged. TYLT makes the Energi backpack, which can serve as a charging station. It uses a removable rechargeable lithium-ion battery, which can be charged from a USB port and can fully charge a smartphone up to four times; it also has enough energy to charge a tablet. The bag itself provides 190 cubic inches of space and 12 pockets, and you can route cords to five external pockets or two of the internal ones. It was also designed to meet TSA requirements: if you travel with a laptop, you can get through security without removing it from the bag. The Energi was built with extra drop protection, has stainless-steel zippers, and is available in three styles.
10) iRobot Looj 330
Robots aren't just found in factories and science-fiction movies; sometimes, they're around to help with projects that we don't really like doing. Take, for example, the Looj 330 from iRobot, the makers of the Roomba. You push a button, and it remotely cleans the rain gutters around your house. The Looj has a high-velocity auger that spins flaps that gets rid of leaves and dirt, and whatever else is clogging up the gutters. The remote control has a communications range of up to 50 feet, meaning that once you put the cleaner in the gutter, you can stand at the base of the ladder while the gutters are cleaned. It's also waterproof in up to 8 inches of water, takes about 5 minutes to clean a 30-foot section of gutter, and can clean 200 feet of gutter on a charge.
iRobot Corp.
11) LoJack for Laptops
You've heard of LoJack -- the service that helps find and recover stolen vehicles? This is the equivalent for laptops, from Absolute Software. LoJack for Laptops is a software-based theft recovery service, which will let you remotely lock and delete files, locate stolen laptops, and protect personal data. This software is also designed to work, even after reformatting the hard drive and reinstalling the operating system. It uses a team of former law enforcement agents as Investigative Theft Recovery Officers who start working as soon as the police report is filed. It is a subscription service, with either standard or premium editions.
LoJack for Laptops
12) OtterBox Pursuit
This company is known for its durable, rugged, weatherproof cases. The Pursuit is the toughest OtterBox offers to date. It is waterproof to 100 feet, crushproof to 1000 pounds, and drop, and dustproof. It has been restyled for 2013 with a new look, and it's made from better materials. The latch is seamless, which helps seal the outdoors away from what you stow inside the case. It comes with cushioning inside and carabineer loops on the outside. There are two sizes: one that'll hold a smartphone or keys and cash (20 cubic inches) and another that can hold twice the amount of gear.
13) Ventev No-Tangle Cables
One annoying problem with using portable electronics is that the cords are often thin, flimsy, and easy to knot up. Chargesync is a flat USB cable, made to not tangle, sold with Apple 30-pin, Lightning, and micro USB connections. The cable can be used with tablets, smartphones, music players, and more. It comes in seven colors and supports the Rapid Charge system.
14) Bluetooth-Enabled CB Radios
CB radios are handy for long-haulers and trail-riders alike, and Cobra has brought the CB radio firmly into the 21st century. With the 29 LX BT, which uses Bluetooth technology, you can connect this CB radio to your mobile phone. You can make calls though the 29 LX BT without ever touching the phone. Other new features that come with the CB are caller ID, which uses a voice announcement to tell you who's calling on the four-color display and shows it on the display, one-touch Bluetooth controls to start and end calls, and a text-to-speech system, which will let you listen to emails while you drivenand can speak responses that it will send. It also has 10 NOAA weather channels and 24/7 Emergency Weather Alert.
15) Gyro Screwdriver
Black & Decker showed its 4V MAX Gyro screwdriver, which uses gyroscopic technology. With this screwdriver, you need only turn your wrist a quarter to the right for forward and a quarter to the left for reverse -- no switch is necessary to change direction. The amount you turn the screwdriver in either direction also controls the variable speed. It's cordless, is powered by a rechargeable lithium-ion battery, and comes with two bits, an LED light, and the charger. Tzatziki not included.
Black & Decker
www.blackanddecker.com 16) Sonic-connect 2
www.blackanddecker.com 16) Sonic-connect 2
If you work in a noisy shop or garage, chances you aren't going to hear the phone. Sonic-connect 2 will let you know when the phone rings. This device is portable, and lights up when you get email, a Skype call, and other task reminders. Alerts are a flashing white strobe, red LED light, and vibration. It works through a standard USB port. While this isn't currently available for regular phones, we hope the availability of this system is expanded in the near future.
17) Mojo Armor
While this sounds like a reference to a Doors song, Mojo Armor is a way to protect your phone from the elements while charging it. The case itself protects the smartphone from drops, hits, and vibration, and all the ports are sealed to keep out dirt and small amounts of water. It also includes a removable battery. The case is designed to quickly charge your phone, and is set up to make it easier to swap out the battery. The external part of the two-piece case comes in a choice of three colors.
18) Grid-It
Even though a lot of the products shown at CES are from big companies, ones that are on the NYSE and sold in Best Buy, some smaller companies use the show to break through. One such company is behind Grid-It!, an organization system made up of different sizes of elastic bands woven together. There are one- and two-sided versions of this, in different sizes. You can slip everything from small tools, such as allen wrenches, tape measures, and screwdrivers to small electronics, on the pad, and everything will stay in place. You can store this in the center console of your truck, in a toolbox, or in a drawer in the garage.
19) ProGear Backpack
Pelican Products, which has traditionally made hard-shelled protective cases, has introduced a line of backpacks that combine the tough protective case for electronics and photo gear, with the soft flexibility of a backpack. The ProGear Urban Backpack Line has a military-grade crush- and dustproof case, big enough to hold a computer and accessories, integrated into a tough nylon bag. It's waterproof to 3 feet underwater for 30 minutes, can hold 18 liters of gear, and has a rubber over-molded handle. It also has a padded lumbar storage area, which is good, because the bag weighs nearly 7 pounds when empty.
Pelican Products
20) iGrill
Do you like the smell of lighter fluid in the morning? Do you take pride in making your neighbors jealous as they inhale the tempting odors of barbecue? There is now a way to use your smartphone as a tool to making grilling and smoking meats easier. iDevices' iGrill is a Bluetooth-enabled meat thermometer that works with a free smartphone app so you can monitor food temperature from up to 200 feet away. It will let you know when the food's ready. It's capable of working with two temp probes, so you can watch two meats at once. If you want to show off, use the app to post photos of your food on Facebook; you can also see who is using iGrill around the world.
21) Waterproof Walkman
If you are out on the boat, in the snow, or on the trail and want to listen to your music without worrying about the player getting wet, Sony has introduced the waterproof Walkman Sports MP3 player. Unlike the Walkman of the past, this one doesn't use a cord that connects headphones to something you clip to your belt; the NWZ-W270 Walkman is a set of waterproof earbuds. That's it. Download the songs to the player and go. It can hold 4GB of music and can play for 8 hours on a full charge.
22) Lego Mindstorms EV3
It's never too early to get the next generation of do-it-yourselfers started, as long as they're old enough to use this new product from Lego. Lego Mindstorms EV3 contains everything you need to create your own robotic toys. It is powered by the EV3 Intelligent Brick, with more memory and a larger processor than in previous toys, and allows wireless controls of whatever robot you build. The infrared sensor gives you control over what the robot does, and Mindstorms EV3 comes with building instructions for 17 different robots, including those that look like construction equipment, vehicles, and robotic arms.
23) Recon Case
This is a military-grade case for iPads. It's made from strong nylon canvas, and zips closed. It can be folded for easier viewing: three landscape and two portrait stand positions. The outer pocket snaps shut, and there are straps on the front and back where you can store extra gear. There's also an elastic strap inside to securely hold a stylus. It comes in three colors: green, tan, and black.
24) BoomBOTTLE
If you like mountain biking or cycling and want to bring your music along, the boomBOTTLE lets you do just that. It's a wireless, weatherproof speaker that fits inside the water bottle cage on your bike. It's designed to be durable and hold up when you're on the trail or on the road. It uses a Bluetooth connection to send music from your iPhone, iPad, iPod, or Samsung tablet to dual 40mm drivers and a passive subwoofer. You can also play, pause, switch tracks, and adjust volume, and it can play for up to 10 hours on a charge.
25) Tactical Earphones
These earphones from Munitio are made to provide excellent sound while keeping out unwanted noise. Each earphone uses a machined, high-density copper alloy casing with a titanium finish. They also include three-button volume control, which works with Apple devices, an inline microphone, and a Kevlar-reinforced fabric cable that protects high-quality copper wire and keeps it from stretching. The Munitio Nines come in three colors.


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About 100 kms from Kochi and 75 kms from Thekaddy by road, this homestay is located on a hillock of Anchiluppa of Kanjirappally. The home was built way back in 1927. It has now been renovated and modified into a beautiful traditional Kerala-style bungalow. George Abraham, the proprietor of the house stays in the bungalow with his wife Susan.
George will be ever willing to take you around 20 acres of rubber plantation around the house and share information on cultivation of local spices, fruits, and farming in the area. If interested one can even get up early morning to witness how rubber tappers tap the tree producing latex.
The architecture of the building is a mix of early Syrian Christian home architecture with the traditional spacious Keralite style of numerous cross ventilated doors and windows. The roof of the house is steeply sloping and red-tiled which is supported by wooden pillars. The rooms are traditionally built but luxuriously furnished with modern and well equipped bathrooms attached to them. This homestay has not one but many interesting spots as options to relax. The guests can have a dip in the swimming pool built in ancient style with a 'Kulippura' (bathing ghat), read a book in the open courtyard or simply sit in the verandah while sipping 'Tender Coconut' which is a speciality drink of the area.
Kottayam is known for Lakes, Latex and most of Latex is produced in and around Kanjirappaly.
To explore it more, guests can visit a nearby temple or church which is more than 600 years old or even visit a small village and get to know the lifestyle of people there. This homestay lets you refresh your senses via innumerable smells and colorful sights.
Become a part of it and experience the stay and hospitality you will never forget.
Philip Mcdonald
Jan 2013
lovely people an excellent stay , spotless room and wonderful house , wonderful home cooked food and marvelous hosts, provided us with priceless shopping tips and great conversations, highly recommend it to anybody!
Detail Ratings
Detail Rating
Rosaline Miller
Mar 2014
Neema is a credit to Indian hospitality and made us extremely welcome in her beautiful home.
Detail Ratings
Detail Rating
CheersBye © 2019


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Math Hoffa Battles T-Rex (Replaces T-Rex With A Stuffed Animal) Live On Stage! "I'd Pick Em Up & Drop Em Like Luda Did Serius"
Math Hoffa replaced T-Rex with a puppet and battles it. Courtesy of Blue Collar TV
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Just a reminder, I'll be the guest on the SUICIDE GIRLS RADIO SHOW tonight from Midnight to 2AM Pacific Time on Indie 103.1 KDLD in Los Angeles and KDLE in Orange County. For those of you outside of Southern California, there is a PODCAST AVAILABLE. I'm not a listener-to of Podcasts. I'm too old to understand the concept. But I can see on the page that you can either listen to the show live or download it. If it don't work, maybe you can try writing to Suicide Girls or Indie 103.1 directly. Won't do a lot of good to ask me because I am mucho stupid about this kind of computer techno stuff.
Thanks to everyone who showed up at the Bodhi Tree on Thursday. We had a good turn out, though I know a few of you are looking forward to future lifetimes as cabbages. Sorry about that. But I did warn you.
I'm terribly uncomfortable with the rockstar hucksterism involved in promoting a book. But I figure my book is way better than pretty much anything else out there on the market. So if you're gonna buy books, you oughta buy mine. In Los Angeles it's perfectly socially acceptable to be promoting yourself constantly, whereas where I grew up in Akron it isn't. I'm gradually getting used to this. It's just part of the job.
As far as Buddhism is concerned, it presents some dilemmas. We're always told to avoid fame and wealth. Now, wealth I have no trouble at all avoiding. You would be shocked to know how poorly most writers are paid. The few that make truckloads of money get a lot of press. But most of us are barely getting by. I'm OK because I have a real job too. But there's no way I could quit that job and live on what I make from writing.
But fame, on the other hand, is creeping up on me rapidly. As a Buddhist dude I get a lot of the downside of fame with not a whole lot of the perks. I mean I ain't getting rich. Legions of hot girls do not throw their panties at me when I speak. But I do get viciously criticized by people I don't know, I get asked personal questions by strangers who assume they know me and there are lots of demands on my time. I'm not complaining, really. I do this of my own free will and I could stop if I wanted (sounds like an alcoholic, but honest, I could).
I have some actors who attend my classes and they're usually worried about this kind of thing too. But if you're an actor a certain degree of fame is required. If you're a Buddhist teacher it's the same. Dogen left Kyoto because he was getting too famous and the other teachers in town didn't like that. He didn't move out to Fukui prefecture to avoid the spotlight, though. He moved out to avoid the bullshit he was getting from those dudes down in Kyoto. He didn't write the things he wrote just to stuff them in a closet to rot away. He wrote because he felt strongly that he had something of value to contribute to society. Buddha himself was very popular in his lifetime and he did nothing to try and shun that popularity.
The big problem with fame is in courting fame in order to be famous or in order to be rich. That road leads nowhere. On the other hand, if you're an artist who believes in your art then there is no sin in promoting it.
So listen up tonight and see if I get any undergarments thrown at me live on the radio. I wonder what would happen if I did...


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The Lowdown on Mineral Makeup
How mineral makeup compares to traditional makeup.
By Shelley Levitt
WebMD Feature
Reviewed by Laura J. Martin, MD
Two of Hollywood's top makeup artists recently took a break from curling lashes and lining lips to offer WebMD their very different views of mineral makeup:
"I love it," says Kerry Herta, who earned a 2011 Emmy nomination for her work on the daytime soap All My Children. "I use a mineral foundation myself. It's so natural looking it's like a second skin, and on hot humid summer days it wears better than traditional liquid makeup."
"I'm not a big fan," says Tasha Reiko Brown, a regular on the Style Network's How Do I Look, who has won raves for the makeup she does on singer Florence Welch of the group Florence and the Machine. "I find it collects in fine lines and pores and accentuates dry flaky areas, while it catches in slick spots. And if you're a woman of color, it can be very difficult to find a shade that's a good match for your skin."
Women, of course, often disagree about the merits of makeup products. But the debate over mineral makeup is especially fierce, going beyond whether it offers a flawless glow or a cakey finish into questions of health and safety. Companies boast that their mineral makeup confers skin care benefits, while detractors raise alarms that the finely ground particles may be risky.
One thing is certain: Women are buying mineral makeup in greater numbers than ever. According to the market research group NPD, sales of mineral makeup from prestige brands were $195 million last year, or 6% of the cosmetics sold in the U.S. And that hefty figure doesn't include mass drugstore lines such as Revlon, L'Oreal, and Neutrogena.
Mineral Makeup: Hype, Reality
Bare Escentuals started what it dubbed "the mineral revolution" when it launched its loose powder foundations in the mid 70s. Competing brands soon followed, all offering the claim that mineral makeup, made from crushed pure minerals, was more "natural" than conventional makeup.
Cosmetic chemists don't quite see a revolution. "I think mineral makeup is marketing hype," says Ni'Kita Wilson, a cosmetic chemist at Englewood Lab in New Jersey. Perry Romanowsksi, author of Can You Get Hooked on Lip Balm? Top Cosmetic Scientists Answer Your Questions About the Lotions, Potions and Other Beauty Products You Use Every Day, agrees. "All makeup is mineral makeup," he says. "You'll find the same mineral ingredients -- titanium dioxide, zinc oxide, mica and iron oxides -- in conventional products."
Contrary to what advertisements may suggest, those ingredients aren't simply mined, pulverized, and poured into compacts. "I'd like someone to show me a zinc oxide mine," Wilson says. "It doesn't exist. Zinc oxide is synthesized in the lab."
And though titanium dioxide, another mineral makeup mainstay, may start out with natural titanium, it undergoes an extraction and purification process in the lab, too. That's a good thing. "There isn't any natural source of titanium that's pure enough to be used in cosmetics," Romanowski says. "It's all contaminated with things like mercury and lead."
What's Not in Mineral Makeup
What makes mineral makeup different from traditional makeup isn't the ingredients it contains, but what's left out. That list, for many leading brands, includes preservatives, parabens, mineral oil, chemical dyes, and fragrance. These are all possible causes of irritation, one reason many dermatologists recommend mineral makeup.
"I'm very bullish on mineral makeup," says New York dermatologist Neal Schultz, MD. "It's much less likely to cause a reaction in women with sensitive skin. And because it doesn't contain oil, it won't aggravate acne-prone skin."
Chicago dermatologist Brooke Jackson, MD, who uses mineral makeup herself, recommends it to patients with rosacea and eczema. She also suggests it to a highly frustrated group of women. "Women in their 30s and 40s will come in and say they have bathroom counters filled with products that have caused reactions because of one ingredient or another," Jackson says. "When they try mineral products, many are finally able to wear makeup for the first time in their lives."
Skin Care Benefits
Mineral makeup won't take the place of your moisturizer, acne cream, or anti-aging serum potions, but it does offer some skin care benefits.
Titanium dioxide and zinc oxide are both physical sun blocks, so a uniform application of mineral makeup will provide some sun protection. "It's sufficient for those days when you're just running a few errands outside," Jackson says, "but if you're going to be spending hours outdoors on a sunny day, choose a sunscreen with an SPF 45."
What's more, Wilson says, zinc oxide is FDA-approved as a skin protectant. "It has some anti-inflammatory properties, so you'll see it in products like diaper-rash ointment," she says. "Since mineral makeup contains a higher percentage of zinc oxide than traditional makeup, it can be useful in calming irritated skin."
Possible Risks
Just as the benefits of mineral makeup have been exaggerated, so have the potential dangers. One concern is that mineral makeup is micronized into ultra-small particles called nanoparticles that can penetrate the skin's barrier and trigger potentially harmful reactions.
Romanowski says there's no reason to fret. "If the particles were actually the size of nanoparticles they'd be useless in makeup," he says, "because they'd become transparent and wouldn't offer any coverage."
Some media reports have advised women to scan labels for bismuth oxychloride, the ingredient that gives makeup its pearly finish. It's been said to cause skin irritation and acne flare-ups, leading some mineral makeup companies to eliminate it from their formulas.
Jackson says that only a very small minority of people with highly sensitive skin will find themselves irritated by the ingredient. "These are women who react to so many ingredients that they'll probably want to have their dermatologist perform skin patch tests to identify what might possibly cause a reaction," she says. "For the vast majority of women, bismuth oxychloride is perfectly safe."
Blurred Line
Mineral makeup has gone far beyond its modest beginnings as a loose powder foundation. Today, you can find blush, bronzer, eye shadow, lipstick, and even liquid foundations presented as mineral products.
As these products have proliferated, a funny thing has happened. Cosmetics companies have added back the ingredients they omitted when they first introduced mineral makeup. After reading the list of ingredients -- a dozen in all -- of a so-called "mineral eye shadow" from a drugstore brand, Wilson laughs, "if you hadn't told me that was the ingredients list of a mineral product, I would have said it was just your run-of-the-mill eye shadow."
As for so-called liquid mineral foundations, Wilson says it's impossible to create a liquid product with a pared-down ingredients list. Because microbes thrive in water, a liquid formulation must include some kind of preservative, she says. Without it, contaminated products can lead to skin infections.
The bottom line? If you have sensitive skin, you might want to give a loose mineral powder foundation a try. Look for products with the shortest ingredients list. "The longer the list of ingredients," says Jackson, "the bigger the opportunity to get yourself in trouble."
For everyone else, mineral makeup will do no harm and, with some practice of the "tap, swirl, and buff" application method, you might find yourself enjoying its camouflaging abilities.
Just keep your expectations in check. "No one product, including mineral foundation, is going to correct problems like large pores and uneven pigmentation," Herta says. "To address those concerns you need primer, concealer, and the right skin care regimen."
Kerry Herta, makeup artist, Los Angeles.
Tasha Reiko Brown, makeup artist, Los Angeles.
Ni'Kita Wilson, cosmetic chemist, vice president of research and innovation, Englewood Lab, Englewood, N.J.
Perry Romanowski, cosmetic chemist; author, Can You Get Hooked on Lip Balm? Top Cosmetic Scientists Answer Your Questions About the Lotions, Potions and Other Beauty Products You Use Every Day and Beginning Cosmetic Chemistry 3rd Edition.


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Paper-Cutout Cards
These beautifully rendered paper cutouts require only patience, concentration, and a careful hand to make. The materials required for even the most elaborate cutouts are simple and inexpensive -- paper and pencil, scissors and knife.
Photography: Luis Bruno
Source: Martha Stewart
We used two main cutting techniques to produce our designs. One is to cut a single shape, often drawn along one continuous line, from unfolded paper (like a silhouette); the other method is to cut one or more designs from folded paper, resulting in double images or repeating patterns.
Paper of your choice, from Martha Stewart Crafts
Sharp pair of embroidery or cuticle scissors
Utility knife with replacement blades
Transfer paper
Bone folder, from Martha Stewart Crafts
White craft glue (or spray adhesive), from Martha Stewart Crafts
Glue stick (if using heavier paper), from Martha Stewart Crafts
Fine-tipped brush
Self-healing cutting mat
To start, use transfer paper to trace the templates, which will keep the design right-facing. For cutting designs from folding paper, do not fold the paper more than two or three times. Score creases with a bone folder for precision. Before you begin to cut, secure the edges of the folds with paper clips, or staple the folds together outside the borders of the design.
Paper is easiest to handle if you begin cutting from the center and work your way out to the edges. Pierce the paper with scissor tips or a pin to gain entry into small spaces. A utility knife is ideal for cutting curved shapes, and central and small areas. Rest paper on a self-healing cutting mat, and apply steady downward pressure on the blade. Guide the knife toward you, holding the paper taut with your free hand. Scissors are best for large shapes and outer edges.
Once you have begun to cut on a fold, never open the paper to check your progress; it is nearly impossible to realign it, and the symmetry of your design will be spoiled. To eliminate the chance of a tear, you'll need to change knife blades whenever the paper starts to pull as you try to cut.


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For whatever reason, not being able to get records I thought would be available led me to research alternatives - which I had never done to try to find the Army records I knew probably weren't available for my other 3 great-grandfathers. I discovered that the NYS Archives holds state-level versions of military service records - and for the low, low, price of just $1!
I figured I could splurge enough to spend $4 and order the records for all four great-grandfathers at once, which I promptly did.
WWI Service of John J. O'Hara
|WWI Military Service Record of John J. O'Hara, NYS Archives
According to this service record, John J. O'Hara enrolled at the Navy Recruiting Station on 4 June 1918.
|WWI Draft Registration Card for John J. O'Hara, Ancestry.com
Something seems funny here. He registered for the draft the day after he enrolled in the Navy? My husband and I started coming up with theories:
"Maybe when he enrolled he was told he needed to be registered for the draft, so he went home and did that the next day?"
"Maybe he knew he was going to have to register for the draft, and wanted to sign up first to make sure he ended up in his preferred branch (the Navy)?"However, the fact is that neither of us knows enough about military history or the rules and regulations of wartime conscription to know whether we were making any sense. (I first wrote this post using "enlisted" as a synonym for "enrolled," assuming they meant the same thing. Then I noticed that both were options on the service record, and "enlisted" was crossed out. If "enrolled" doesn't mean "enlisted," what does it mean?)
Beyond that, the service record doesn't provide much information about John O'Hara's military career. It seems that he spent the entirety of it in the Naval Training Camp at Pelham Bay Park in the Bronx - at least, that's the only place that's mentioned. However, the dates of service and the number of days served don't match up exactly, so I can't help but wonder if something is missing or incorrect. Based on the 4 service records I received, only 1 of my 4 great-grandfathers (not this one) served overseas during WWI, though all served in the military.
Plea for Help
Needless to say, that this is an area in which I have very little knowledge is severely hampering my interpretation of this document. (I understand the Army service records I received for the other 3 great-grandfather better . . . or else so poorly that I don't know what I don't know!) I've run into this problem before, when I realized I didn't know how to interpret a Civil War Service Record well enough to figure out whether it belonged to my 3x great-grandfather. That question is still just as open as it was in 2009, because I still don't know how to interpret a Civil War Service Record, or where to find out how to interpret a Civil War Service Record.
So here's my plea for help: What resources are available to help me learn to interpret these and other military records? I can find the records, but I'm not doing anything more than accumulating papers if I can't understand them. Are there websites that focus on this type of thing, blogs run by experts in military history, books I should be reading, or a guy your cousin knows who's made interpreting service records his life's goal? Please tell me in the comments! (And if you're someone who knows about this stuff, an "explaining and interpreting military history" genealogy blog might really fill a niche!)


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forum presence
Scientists call for biodiversity barometer
International Union for Conservation of Nature (IUCN)
For the first time scientists have put a figure on how much it would cost to learn about the conservation status of millions of species, some of which have yet to be identified. The price tag is US$60 million, according to a team of scientists, including those from IUCN and Conservation International, who presented their case in this week's Science magazine in an article called "The Barometer of Life."
"Our knowledge about species and extinction rates remains very poor, and this has negative consequences for our environment and economy," says
Simon Stuart, Chair of IUCN's Species Survival Commission
. "By expanding the current IUCN Red List of Threatened SpeciesTM to include up to approximately 160,000 well-chosen species, we will have a good barometer for informing decisions globally."
To date, almost 48,000 species have been assessed on the IUCN Red List, which costs about US$4 million each year. Most of this work is carried out by thousands of volunteers worldwide through the Species Survival Commission.
Globally, only 1.9 million species have been identified, though the estimated number of species is thought to be somewhere between 10 and 20 million. While the Red List contains assessments of all species of mammals, birds, amphibians, reef-building corals, freshwater crabs, cycads and conifers, the vast majority of the world's species are poorly represented, including many plants, invertebrates, reptiles, fishes and fungi.
"The more we learn about indicator species (which can provide information on the quality of the environment around them), the more we know about the status of the living environment that sustains us all," says
Edward O. Wilson, a prominent biologist at the Museum of Comparative Zoology at Harvard University
. "Threatened species, in particular, need to be targeted to enable better conservation and policy decisions."
"We urgently need to ramp up current efforts to catalogue a far more representative selection of our vast biodiversity, while we still can, and we should focus first and foremost on those areas of highest extinction risk," says
Russell Mittermeier, President of Conservation International and Chair of IUCN/SSC Primate Specialist Group
. "Such information will also help governments and communities to design appropriate responses to climate change and to other pressing conservation challenges."
"Another important challenge is to strengthen scientific capacity for performing Red List assessments in biodiversity-rich areas. The developing world is home to most of the earth's species, but human resources for monitoring this natural wealth are seriously lacking," says
Jon Paul Rodríguez, an ecologist at the Venezuelan Institute for Scientific Investigation and the Venezuelan NGO Provita, who serves as Deputy Chair of IUCN's Species Survival Commission
"The fact that we will not achieve the 2010 target to halt the loss of biodiversity is disheartening," says
Jeff McNeely, Senior Science Advisor, IUCN
. "But complaining will not help nearly as much as a redoubled effort to conserve what remains of our planet's living wealth. The Barometer of Life offers us an effective tool for measuring our progress towards saving life on earth."
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from World Environment Magazine in an attempt to educate
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Soundgarden Look to 'Add the Parts That Suck Back In'
Soundgarden guitarist Kim Thayil made a statement years ago that is blasphemous to headbangers. He once said that the band wanted to sound like "Black Sabbath without the parts that suck." Wait, what? There are parts of Sabbath that suck? Who knew. See what we meant about blasphemy?
Well, fast forward several years, a breakup and reunion. Now, singer Chris Cornell has admitted that the band has changed the formula. The frontman told Classic Rock in the July issue of the mag that "we're trying to add all the parts that suck back in."
Cornell also detailed the genesis of the band's reunion. It was the result of a meeting where the members reconvened to find ways to connect with fans via their website, fan cub and more. You know, general band/brand logistics. After spending time together, they realized that the idea of playing music together again was enticing.
In 2012, Soundgarden are incredibly active, contributing 'Live to Rise' to the 'Avengers' soundtrack, with a new album on the horizon. That hasn't stopped Cornell from being a bit hesitant about the idea that Soundgarden's reunion is messianic and that they are back to save rock music, as some fans have commented.
"Rock is a moving target and everyone has a different list of specific things for their definition of it," he said. "But if it's a list of what we do, then yeah, rock needs saving. But who knows what rock is any more?" The singer went on to suggest that rock could be an attitude or a background and that it's not exactly a cut and dried notion.
Cornell wasn't all serious in his chat with the magazine, which asked him what he can do that no one else can. While we were thinking that he hits the high notes in a way that few vocalists in the genre can, Cornell has a more unique skill that involves his bones. "I can turn myself inside out and play percussion on my own skeleton – if it's mic'd correctly, it sounds really cool," he said.
If such a sound made it onto the new Soundgarden album, that'd definitely be a part that doesn't suck.


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What chowed down on a 9-foot great white shark?
(NEWSER) – What wolfs down 9-foot great white shark like a steak dinner?
That's what plagued researchers who had tagged a great white in Australia and found the tag washed up on a nearby beach four months later, Australia's News Network reports. Tag data showed a sudden 1,902-foot plunge and a quick increase in temperature, the latter indicating time spent in an animal's digestive system.
"I was absolutely blown away," says filmmaker Dave Riggs in a documentary coming from the Smithsonian Institute, Hunt for the Super Predator (see some of it on YouTube).
SPOILER ALERT: Researchers theorized that the 9-footer was eaten by a "colossal cannibal great white shark."
Huh? Well according to tracking data, the predator would be roughly 16 feet long and weigh more than 2 tons, reports Geekosystem. No one knows why the attack occurred, but it may have been a territorial issue or the big shark could have just been hungry, Gizmodo Australia reports.
In the end, the film "settled on a hypothesis that makes the most sense to me," writes Casey Chan at Gizmodo Australia. "Big sharks eat little sharks."
More on Newser:
Rising seas wash up WWII skeletons:
Man spend hours talking to spirits.
Is imported Nutella different?
Newser is a USA TODAY content partner providing general news, commentary and coverage from around the Web. Its content is produced independently of USA TODAY.


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Elisha Takes Up His Teacher's Mantle
The gift of prophecy has ceased, so Jesus calls none of us to be prophets in the classical sense. However, we are called to bear witness to Him where we are and insofar as we are able. This is the ...Read More
Images vs. Idols
Biblical ethics ultimately address the heart. Images in themselves are indifferent; it is what we do with them that matters. The worship of physical images is a problem in many places, but we tend to be more "sophisticated." We ...Read More
The Consequences of Sin
If we are in Christ, we need not fear that we will be exiled from the blessed presence of God forever. However, God may still discipline us for our sin, and we may feel the effects of His disciplinary rod ...Read More
Hezekiah's Foolsih Decision
Hezekiah's rather selfish response to Isaiah's prophecy about the fall of his sons shows how even those who follow God still fall into sin (2 Kings 20:19). One of the sins with which we commonly struggle is ...Read More
Israel's Sons in Exile
"It is time for judgment to begin at the household of God" (1 Peter 4:17). Sometimes God shakes the church when He brings judgment, punishing those who falsely claim to believe and disciplining those who truly confess Jesus as ...Read More
The Mode of Baptism
All of the above evidence indicates that in baptism, it is the cleansing aspect that is the emphasis and not the way in which water is applied. Whether dipped, immersed, sprinkled, or poured upon, we are to see a picture ...Read More


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Ornr needed a new logo design and created a contest on 99designs.
A winner was selected from 50 designs submitted by 15 freelance designers.
Sneaker Keeper
Sneaker Keepers are athletic shoe inserts that keep your shoes fresh, looking new, feeling new, and smelling new. They help maintain the shape and look of your shoe, absorb sweat, and eliminate odor. Odor relief is our focus but mainly we just want to keep your sneakers new for a longer period of time.
Sneaker Fanatics
Moms with kids that have stinky athletic shoes
People who have stinky feet.
We are looking for a logo for an athletic shoe insert. The focus is on odor control. We want the logo to be sporty, include your vision of sneakers or runnning shoes, and illustrate odor control if possible. The name Sneaker Keeper should be included.
We don't want too much detail because we want the logo to be clear at smaller fonts. I see simple and effective but we are open to all levels of creativity.
The right color isn't important. We are more focused on the design.
Find out how a design contest works or learn more about our logo design services.


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Rico Industries
Vancouver Canucks Large Ice Scraper
Details https://www.belk.com/p/rico-industries-vancouver-canucks-large-ice-scraper/3203482ICL8801.html
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California Residents
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This item ships directly from the vendor, usually within 4 business days. Shipping Details
Due to shipping weight restrictions, this item cannot be shipped to a PO Box.
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Returns are easy at belk.com. Easy returns