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Berkley's earnings rose in fourth quarter: Business briefs
Berkley's earnings rise in fourth quarter
W.R. Berkley Corp., a Greenwich-based insurance holding company that operates in five segments of the property casualty insurance business, saw its earnings sharply rise in the fourth quarter as its gross written premiums increased almost 16 percent. It also realized gains from both private equity investments and common stock portfolios, contributing to a return on equity of just under 17 percent. Net income for the quarter was $165.49 million or $1.17 per share, compared with $117 million or 82 cents per share for the same period last year. Annual net income rose from $391.21 million or $2.69 cents per share to $510.59 million or $3.56 per share for 2012. Net premiums written in the quarter totalled $1.29 billion, compared with $1.10 billion for the same period last year. For 2012, Berkley had net premiums of $4.90 billion, compared with $4.36 billion in 2011. In trading Monday, its share price lost 49 cents, falling to $41.06. Its 52-week high share price has ranged between $33.78 and $42.04.
Communications firm's debt rating cut
Frontier Communications received a one-level downgrade from Standard & Poor's on Jan. 25 when the corporate rating went to BB-, according to Bloomberg News. The downgrade stemmed from competition from cable and wireless phone-service providers. The Stamford-based company has 4.9 million access lines in 27 states, mostly in rural areas, providing local access, long-distance and DSL Internet service.
Pitney Bowes' legal division to exhibit
Pitney Bowes Legal Solutions, a division of Pitney Bowes, will exhibit its legal services, including an expanded platform for early case assessment, hosted review software and managed review services, at LegalTech New York 2013, held from Tuesday through Thursday at the Hilton New York. Pitney Bowes Legal Solutions will present at booth 1303 at the event.


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Written by Silvana Buljan for Buljan & Partners Consulting
Imagine you lose all your hardly earned savings you invested in promising financial products, that were sold to you not informing you about the risk or just by blurring your eyes with promises that could not realistically be fulfilled… It is true that the responsibility is shared: the bank you trusted in has not been transparent in transactions, and you were looking for a high ROI without analyzing in depth the risk that these kind of products have. The fact is though that you are furious about your bank, and the client manager dealing with your money, and the government because they did not prevent this from happening, and and and.
You feel betrayed. And lost because suddenly life as retired person in the future has another image than the one that you were working on. What could the bank do to not lose you as customer? What would YOU make trust them again?
We live in financial times, yes, but we also live in a society whose "rules of the game" are being redefined / reinvented / questioned. Have we missed a fundamental discussion on such basic things like ethics or human values? Every citizen knows that a bank is making money with his money, it´s part of a bank´s business model. And every citizen knows that borrowing money is more expensive than lending it. That´s fair and nobody complains. But is it fair to not offer any recovery if things work out differently than thought? Definitely the money lost in your individual case is "peanuts" for the bank, but still you are the one taking over 100% of responsibility as you signed a "carte blanche" regarding liability rules.

subset: commoncrawl


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This chick!!
I signed up back in July, in a post-Hardrock crewing daze, so I'm a little late on reporting this. But better late than never :)
I'm so excited to have another 100 on the horizon. Bear 100 has a fairly loyal following and I've heard nothing but good things about the course, the people, the organization (supremely low key). I've also heard that everyone gets lost, that it's just a matter of how and for how long. So, I'll be carrying the turn-by-turn directions in my pack :) Kid you not.
I knew I wanted to get in a 100 mile run this year, and it was really between two very different events for me, Bear 100 and Javelina 100. I've done what are considered four "easy" 100s so far (I know, oxymoronic, right?), and I decided this was as good a year as any to step it up a notch; try something outside my comfort zone. Not that 100 miles isn't already fairly uncomfortable, but add in some mountains and some altitude to give it that extra flavor :)
Pumped am I. I'm sure I'll see some of you out there. In the meantime, may the training continue!
Paige, out.
The madness, excitement, adventure and musings of a runner who can't get enough of it
Sunday, August 19, 2012
Bear 100...Guess Who's Running?
2 comments:
- JojaJogger said...
Isn't The Bear stepping it up about 3 notches? Have fun out there!
- August 19, 2012 at 7:33 PM
- Alene Gone Bad said...
Get out there and have fun. You're a local now...
- August 20, 2012 at 4:11 PM
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Have Greek Markets Turned a Corner?
A year ago, Greece was toxic territory, but investors have begun to show an appetite against for the country's stocks, government bonds and corporate debt. WSJ's Charles Forelle assesses this turnaround. Photo: Associated Press
This transcript has been automatically generated and may not be 100% accurate.
I ... the the ... Reese has gone from ... the euro zone's biggest problem child to be in the stores and likely feeding frenzy for some investors ... and here with Charles Forelle was the Journal's European markets the group to discuss ... I shall stay with a few days it has been a tremendous year for Greece to go back to the back of the year to May two thousand twelve Greece was in political chaos there's this crazy election coming up ... discussions about parties that want a Greece and the euro zone ... the stock market was about five hundred off of its two thousand seven high of five thousand ... they just added the debt restructuring on deals are thirty percent ... but Greece is changed to lease in the Markets viewpoint solidify deals in the corporate bonds ... starting the issue corporate bonds and companies government bond yields are down from thirty to about nine percent the stock market this year's rally that eighty percent plus a so so cool cool is doing is buying it and what are they by at least as corporate bonds equities Greek government debt holders of Greek government debt has been with the great race of the past year a lot of people made a bunch of money doing that after the restructuring people jumped right thank you bought the sponsor done phenomenally well ... equities deal but stocks have done well but which are ... very small volume was very low activity is much less activity in the Greek stock market than there was ... at back in ninety days is this to pre crisis years ... in corporate bonds are seriously interesting little bits of green shoots is I see some companies that have never issued before companies that were ... unable to market in size starting to poke out but it's really companies that are pre Cubbies but not to agree so ... Evan operations elsewhere they have revenue sources that say degrees ... but they're the belittled it's an indication that outcome is in advanced markets so how big a deal is the same is this something that just reflects a few opportunists to hedge funds are banks doing some kind of free fielders isn't some it has the potential to really transform the ... death only represents ... a number of small hedge funds are large headphones but ... as has been relatively small bets in relatively focus areas of the economy but he got a star some ... gets up even when determining Greece ... has to come from somewhere it's gotta start somewhere but it is actually great is now being replicated across all I mean we don't see for instance large amounts of bank lending to most small businesses ... we don't see increased lending to consumers we don't see increased minute of it ... so ... basically ended cautiously optimistic side it's really nothing to guess continues to believe that to date the European Central Bank has a sense of unease all process developed world is forcing people to find yield somewhere anywhere interest rates so low that people have to buy something ... on and that is ... that has pushed ... visit to the design of policies to push people into things like this ... it has started to push people into a war for this year is a great market but it hasn't pushed it has not pushed investment unwinding ever ... Braden a wonder there has been as close as whether this is a positive sign for the rest of this and Southern European periphery to come in ... and a day what were seen this in countries like Spain or Portugal that were seen a little bit of a sustained I'm especially as the Spanish banks try to kill themselves for Samsung and portable but ... to be honest ... it's not a huge man anyway now ... I'm in it ... it still remains off limits for all lot of investors and less with him in it is this something that hedge funds and other banks and post the voters is another Duncan ... furtively Inner little worried taxi ... some of some somewhat some aren't on this on hedge funds it been made of rigidly the ones who have ... correctly at that time Greek government bonds have been crawling back ... on their big bets on Greece and in saying that you have to be getting any miss the opportunity of a lifetime ... I'm but a lot of people are still cautious about it because it is it does carry stayed ... in it does not is not that long ago that Greece's of the disaster for


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The Program offers writing and arts courses for all first-year students. The Program's writing course for entering students, LHSP 125, meets the LSA First-Year Writing Requirement for first-year students. Several sections of LHSP 125, taught by Sweetland Center for Writing faculty, are offered in fall term. This course, while emphasizing college writing, focuses on a variety of diverse topics and themes related to the creative arts. A variety of elective courses, including creative non-fiction and studio art courses, are also offered through LHSP. All LHSP courses are small, and active participation by students is encouraged. LHSP also has a Writing Center available for all students.
Lloyd Hall Scholars Program Courses. A total of 20 credits of LHSP courses may be counted toward the minimum 120 credits required for an LSA degree.


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Family Science Night in Local School -A Blast From the Past!
Elementary Science Concentration students within the Informal Science Course this semester designed and implemented a Family Science Night for Eastern Elementary School in Pitt County. On November 14th, Elementary Science Concentration students held a Family Science Night entitled, A Blast from the Past, in which activities focused on contributions of scientists which have impacted our world. Examples of stations consisted of Neil Degrasse Tyson, famous astrophysicist, demonstrating discoveries of new planets through exploring a virtual telescope, Alexander Graham Bell, making and using telephones (demonstrating how sound travels), and Issac Newton, second law of motion (F=ma), using tarps to explore how much force is needed to pull students across the gym floor. Students and parents rotated through 9 stations that evening learning of various scientists and their contributions to science. It was a very successful night with over 140 participants (students and parents) joining us for a night of science.


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6:30 pm
Pati's Mexican Table "Fonda Favorites" These home-style dishes are a staple at the small restaurants known as "fondas" in Mexico - and delicious inspiration for busy cooks in American homes today. Make them once, and they'll become a simple but special treat in your own kitchen. Meatballs in Chipotle Sauce (Albondigas); White Rice and Fried Plantains; Tres Leches Cake. D
7:00 pm
Hometime "Exterior Harmony: Doors and Stone" The new home's architecture is enhanced with continuity of garage doors, entry doors and shutters as the foundation is covered with natural thin veneer stone. D
7:30 pm
Rick Steves' Europe "The Czech Republic Off The Beaten Path" Rick begins with a whirlwind round of Art Nouveau, local pub music, stinky cheese-tasting, river-rafting and peat-bathing in places like Olomouc, Moravsky Krumlov, Trebon and Konopiste.G
8:00 pm
Burt Wolf: Travels & Traditions "Alaska" Fragments of the earth's crust drifted together to form Alaska. And they are still very much in the process of drifting and forming. And what they have formed is already the largest state in the United States of America. D
8:30 pm
Jacques Pepin: More Fast Food My Way "Sole-Ful Suppertime" Jacques makes a creamy fillet of sole with mushroom sauce, paired with peas, mushrooms and endive. His dessert combines seckel pears in coffee.G
9:00 pm
America's Test Kitchen from Cook's Illustrated "A Moroccan Feast" Test cook Julia Collin Davison shows host Christopher Kimball how to make a Moroccan-style Chicken Tagine at home with foolproof Couscous that's better than any store-bought brand. Then, gadget guru Lisa McManus reveals her pick for the best compost bucket. Later, test cook Bryan Roof uncovers the secrets to making your own preserved lemons. D
9:30 pm
Coastal Cooking with John Shields "Asian Melting Pot" Vietnamese chef, Charles Phan, owner of the Slanted Door restaurant in San Francisco, creates his specialty - Vietnamese Fish Rolls. Other recipes include My Phuong's Black and White Tuna - and from the Hawaiian Islands - Big Island Chicken Long Rice. The Kitchen Goddess gives a primer on Tiki Bar drinks. D
10:00 pm
Joanne Weir's Cooking Confidence "Spain On My Mind" Joanne shares with us her emotional connection to Spain. She begins by preparing Salmorejo, a cold tomato and bread soup she first discovered in Southern Spain, and then works with her student Joan to overcome his fear of cooking lamb by preparing a hearty lamb, white bean, and chorizo stew with a spicy infused olive oil drizzled over the top. Recipes: Salmorejo and Spanish Lamb Stew. D
10:30 pm
Rick Steves' Europe "The Czech Republic Off The Beaten Path" Rick begins with a whirlwind round of Art Nouveau, local pub music, stinky cheese-tasting, river-rafting and peat-bathing in places like Olomouc, Moravsky Krumlov, Trebon and Konopiste.G
11:00 pm
Expanding Canon: Teaching Multicultural Literature In High School, The "Workshop 8. Critical Pedagogy: Abiodun Oyewole and Lawson Fusao Inada" In Part I, Cathie Wright-Lewis and her class explore the tradition of spoken word and the works of poet Abiodun Oyewole. In Part II, Sandra Childs. D


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June 2014
2 June 2014
They're judicious thinkers, protective and loving parents, and affectionate partners. And with incredible homing systems and links to our long-distance past – it's no wonder the Irwin family are already getting excited about the annual Croc Research Trip in August!
Joined by Professor Craig Franklin and his team from the University of Queensland, Australia Zoo croc experts and the Irwin family will once again make the pilgrimage to the Steve Irwin Wildlife Reserve in Cape York. The 333,000 acre conservation property in Queensland's Cape York Peninsula is home to ground-breaking croc research and is critical to managing the co-existence of crocodiles and people.
The project has seen Australia Zoo pour more than $3 million into croc research over the past ten years, and has taught people previously unknown facts about crocodiles. From this research, it is now understood that crocs can hold their breath for 7 hours at a time and can travel up to 60KM in one day.
This research is directly applied to Australia Zoo's international crocodile rescue work, protecting people and crocodilians around the world.
Currently, 114 crocs on the Steve Irwin Wildlife Reserve have tracking devices. Using data transmitted by satellite back to the laboratory and displayed on Google Earth - the croc research team continue to discover new information on their behaviour, position and physiology.
Croc research was core to Steve's passion, beginning his own formal crocodile research in 1996. Today, the Irwin family continue his legacy each year at the Steve Irwin Wildlife Reserve in his honour. His renowned capture and study techniques are still used by the Australia Zoo croc research team today!
The Irwin family need your help to continue breaking new ground in crocodile research. Sponsorship of a croc on the Steve Irwin Wildlife Reserve will grant you exclusive naming rights of a wild-caught croc, and will help cover the cost of GPS satellite tracking equipment. We are also in need of funds, food and other donations for August. For more information on how you can help, please email email@example.com or phone (07) 5436 2000 today.
**Please note there are limited spots to sponsor a croc, so we recommend contacting us soon**
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About Browser History and Caching
A cache is a temporary storage area where frequently accessed data can be retained for rapid loading. A web browser cache holds copies of pages that pass through it - all items you have accessed or downloaded from the Internet, including images, sounds, Web pages, and cookies. These items are stored on your computer, usually in the Temporary Internet Files folder.
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You may occasionally encounter an error message, a "Page Not Found" display, a "Momentarily Unavailable Message" etc. This could be due to a problem with the system, maintenance, or a number of other reasons. If you decide to go back to this url later, you may see this same message even though the problem is corrected because your browser has pulled the page from your cache.
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- In Firefox:
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You can set your browser to automatically clear cache, and you can re-size your cache storage to maintain more cached files to speed up performance; this, however, increases the likelihood that you will access stale content.
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Sunnyside's Promise board member Nate Bridges and Executive Director Mark Baysinger went before the city's subcommittee on finance and administrative services yesterday evening to ask the city for $217,000 so the organization can keep providing services to the city.
The request is in light of the funding problems Sunnyside's Promise has had due to the lack of expected funding from Sunnyside Community Hospital and the Sunnyside School District.
Bridges told the committee that the board of Sunnyside's Promise had met a week ago and Bridges had asked for the resignation of every member. His plan is to form a new board made up of business people.
"We've all been looking at this wrong from the start," said Bridges. He said the blank slate given to Sunnyside's Promise to eliminate gang activity was always limited by restrictions on funding and mixed expectations. The result was a lack of money for administrative costs.
"It's easy to get stuff," he said, listing donations given to Sunnyside's Promise by individuals and organizations, all earmarked for particular programs. "It's that year in, year out administrative costs where we have trouble. Some grants allow 4 percent to go to administration. Others don't allow any."
Bridges also said that some of the problems with Sunnyside's Promise resulted from not having an accountant on staff. He proposed hiring one to work as an operations manager, allowing Baysinger to concentrate on securing grants.
"He's gotten $900,000 in grants in the last three years," said Bridges. "Mark can pay for himself."
Bridges added up expenses to run the organization, including salaries for Baysinger, the new operations manager and the two existing employees at the community center, along with a new receptionist and the overhead costs for Sunnyside Promise's office. Those expenses total $217,000, the amount needed to guarantee that the organization would be able to operate for a year, according to Bridges.
He then said the city would get that back, explaining the city would save on the costs of running the community center, which he estimated at $77,000 if Promise runs it.
"You won't be able to run it that cheaply," he told the city leaders last night.
In addition, Bridges said the community center would generate revenue via program fees and rental fees, which would also offset the costs.
Bridges also said any administrative costs that were allowed in grants would go back to the city, reducing the city's financial commitment even further.
Bridges also spoke about a new initiative between the city, school district and hospital currently being developed that will give Sunnyside's Promise opportunities to provide services, the role the group prefers to have.
Baysinger said he doesn't "...want this to be what it's been. I want a partnership with clear expectations of what our roles are."
If the proposed initiative between the city, the hospital and the school district is adopted, and Sunnyside's Promise is chosen to provide services and programs to local residents, Bridges said money generated from those programs would also return to the city.
He also pointed out that the school district is sitting on $100,000 of levy money that was originally earmarked for Sunnyside's Promise and said it would go a long way toward keeping the organization operational.
Bridges said a new Sunnyside's Promise board would work on making Sunnyside's Promise self-sufficient in the future. One way would be to ask businesses or individuals to join as members of the organization, with a donation. He said he's already gotten commitments of more than $32,000 if the organization could just remain viable.
"If Promise goes away, so will the grants," Bridges said. "We'll have to give back the lawnmower and the check for the soccer field."
The problem, said Bridges, is that Sunnyside's Promise never knows from year to year if it's going to exist. It is difficult to apply for grants when a requirement is that the organization be there to administer the grant the next year, he explained.
The contribution from the city would be the guarantee that Sunnyside's Promise would exist the next year. It would mean the organization could plan for the future instead of scrambling for funds in the present.
"I want Sunnyside to be a place you want to move to with your kids," said Bridges. "Here's a chance for Sunnyside to turn around and say we're getting rid of gangs, we're doing something about it."
After the presentation, members of the committee and Interim City Manager Frank Sweet discussed the proposal.
"There is no way we can pick up $217,000," said Councilwoman Theresa Hancock. She reiterated her support for Sunnyside's Promise, but acknowledged that the city cannot afford the expense.
Sweet noted that the city would have to commit for multiple years. He said it would be difficult to fit that type of financial commitment into the city's budget.
Councilman Jim Restucci asked Sweet to run the numbers on the community center to see how much the city would save if Sunnyside's Promise continued to provide services there.
Bridges' proposal will be presented before the city council at a future meeting.
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October 3, 1900 - September 15, 1938
Thomas Wolfe was born in Asheville in 1900. In public schools and later in a private academy, he observed carefully the life around him. He stored away in his mind the ten thousand impressions later to be used in the most impressive books ever written by a North Carolinian. The town of Asheville was just then expanding into a bustling resort. But young, tall Tom Wolfe was not satisfied. He was always looking out beyond the hills which he said "hemmed" him in. Thomas attended North State Fitting School, a private prep school, until age fifteen when he entered the University of North Carolina at Chapel Hill and, before his graduation, became one of the most important figures on the campus. Active in the Dialectic Literary Society, the campus newspaper, and Pi Kappa Phi fraternity. Besides majoring in English, he was also one of the first members of Carolina Playmakers, a theatrical course taught by Frederick Koch.
Determined on a career as a professional dramatist, he went to Harvard, completing a Master of Dramatic Arts in 1922. When his plays were not accepted immediately by Broadway producers he began teaching English at Washington Square College. On a trip abroad he suddenly started writing out the vivid recollections of his boyhood in Asheville, which he called Atlamont. The result was Look Homeward, Angel (1929), a novel that is one of the high marks of American fiction, one later made into a successful Broadway play. It tells of the experiences of a sensitive lad in a mountain town and later in college at Pulpit Hill (his name for Chapel Hill). Other long novels pursuing their career of the autobiographical hero are Of Time and the River (1935), The Web and the Rock (1939), and You Can't Go Home Again (1940). There are numerous books of short stories, plays, essays, poetic passages, and letters.
Look Homeward, Angel was quite successful on publication; so Wolfe, with the aid of a Guggenheim Fellowship, gave up his teaching post and went off to Europe to write. Thereafter, he lived for the most part in New York. He was never married. Particularly he wished to see all of the America he wrote about. On a trip to the Northwest he became ill and died of a brain operation in Baltimore on September 15, 1938.
The Thomas Wolfe Memorial is located in Asheville, NC.
References and Additional Resources:
North Carolina Digital Collections
Walser, Richard Gaither, and Mary Reynolds Peacock. 1981. Young reader's picturebook of Tar Heel authors. Raleigh: North Carolina Dept. of Cultural Resources, Division of Archives and History.
WorldCat (Searches numerous library catalogs)
"Thomas," Our State, October 2000. http://digital.ncdcr.gov/cdm/ref/collection/p16062coll18/id/71947
Image credit:
Van Vechten, Carl, Portrait of Thomas Wolfe, 1937. Library of Congress Prints and Photographs Division Washington, D.C. 20540 USA. Image accessed here.
11 September 2009 | Anonymous
Wolfe's sister Mabel, some
Wolfe's sister Mabel, some ten years the author's senior, married Ralph Wheaton, a salesman for NCR, under J.E. O'Donnell, Agent for "The Company's" SE District. While a student @ UNC, Thomas Wolfe attended social gatherings @ his brother in law's employer's home in Raleigh & fictionalized that family as the "O'Tooles " in his novel, Look Homeward, Angel.
Dear John,
Dear John,
Thank you so much for visiting NCpedia and especially for taking time to post this additional information!
Best wishes,
Kelly Agan, Government & Heritage Library
what was his greatest
what was his greatest acomplishment?
His acomplishment was how his
His acomplishment was how his book changed the history of plays forever.
It was a great story and I
It was a great story and I like how you put a lot of facts in it!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!
That is alot of exclamation
That is alot of exclamation marks!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!
That was the best story ever
That was the best story ever that i have ever heard about him i will make sure I tell all my friends about them
Sure you will,who doesn't
Sure you will,who doesn't want to learn about a dead author1
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Stuart Weitzman stands for sophistication and the alluring character of these shoes explains its recent success in both traditional and online retailers. In fact, some of the most popular shoes are only available online and the nice variety of products on display, render the need of looking elsewhere for footwear virtually useless. These classically embellished shoes can be compared with similar products, but in the end, the ratio between price and quality recommends them.
The perils of outsourcing don't seem to affect this prestigious brand, as all of their products are manufactured in countries that have a tradition of quality. While their prices usually revolve around values of a few hundred dollars, the shoes are versatile enough to be worn both around town and at the office. Their uncanny ability to complement any outfit makes them the first choice for highly active individuals who want to be prepared for anything all the time. The Autumn collection features the latest black leather boots, which enable their wearers to stay up to date with the freshest trends.


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Student or Learner
Good evening,
I want to apply for a scholarship in two different universities and I have just finished writing my motivational statement but I am not sure if it is written in a correct manner. would you please check it out for me and give me your feedback as soon as possible? (I am not asking for vocabulary or grammar correction ... I just need to make sure that the ideas are well written). I really appreciate your help.
Dear Sir or Madam,
It is a big pleasure for me to express my interests in applying for master study in Mobile Technologies or Communication Systems and Networks through Erasmus Mundus scholarship.
I will be very glad to be accepted in one of the above programs since I feel so enthusiastic to continue my study in the field of Computer and Communications Engineering. Ever since I started this study at the university, I have always enjoyed the different subjects that teach all the amazing complicated details and genius algorithms that form computer and communication systems. For the time being, I feel that I have the required basics and qualifications to improve myself and to satisfy my hunger for knowledge.
In fact, I have chosen to study in the field of Computer and Communications Engineering because of many reasons. Most important is that as I grew up I could see that computers, mobiles and other wonderful developed devices, are found everywhere around, controlling almost all of our daily activities. I could see that everybody who has one of these devices is simply using it without even wondering about how could a relatively small device do all these magical functions within few moments! I have always been eager to know more and more about the mechanisms and technologies that work on these devices.
However, during my educational journey at Arab International University (AIU), my interests were deeply concentrated toward communications specialty. The main desires of my post-graduate studies are Mobile Technologies and Communication Networks. These two branches are my favorite because they include a variety of interesting communications concepts such as Mobile Networks Architecture, Embedded Systems, Mobile Devices Software, Generations of Networks and Digital Signal Processing. As an engineer, I love to deeply research and proficiently understand how mobile networks and other communication networks operate in order to acquire more theoretical knowledge and practical skills to become a masterful and expert in the most significant and common technologies in the world.
It might be appropriate to mention that I am reasonably familiar with Quadrature Amplitude Modulation technique, since working on my graduation project QAM Transmitter and Receiver Design gave me a good experience and convection that I have the required qualifications to get through similar branches.
Furthermore, my deep interest in the world of communications makes me so excited about exploring this field more precisely. These great inventors who developed this technology have left us a valuable treasure which we should improve and never stop trying to look for new ways or applications that makes our daily life even easier, faster and more comfortable. I am determined to continue my way to get higher degrees which will enable me to come up with something new and innovative despite all the difficulties I may come up against.
Moreover, I feel I am responsible for making a big move in this field and this scholarship will give me a big chance to be one day someone who is remembered for his innovations. I think it is our duty as people sharing life in this world to make our future better because the future is not only ours. Our grandchildren should be proud of us one day when they look back and find how hard we worked to make the world a better place. I will never forget that day when I was very young and I accidentally cut the power cable of my fathers TV. He did not punish me after I promised him that when I grow up, I will invent a way to turn on TV without a need for wires so he will never have to get upset again.
Thank you for considering my request. I look forward to your positive response.
Yours faithfully,


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Mayor's Office
In an effort to make it easier for citizens to locate surplus City land available for sale, Mayor Chris Beutler today announced that a complete listing is available on the City website at lincoln.ne.gov (keyword: surplus). The site includes a searchable database with aerial photos, addresses, parcel sizes and zoning.
"My administration has had a goal of making it easier for individuals to locate surplus City land and to facilitate the process of its purchase," said Mayor Beutler. "We want this land in private hands for two reasons - to improve the chance the land will be brought to its highest and best use, and to ensure the land will be on the tax rolls, contributing to the revenues of the City, County, public schools and others."
The city owns property from a variety of ways including purchase, by trade or gift and by tax sales. Not all land owned by the City has a current or projected civic purpose. Surplus property is available for purchase, trade, or lease; depending on the circumstance.
Inquiring individuals should find the process easier and more efficient with the help of the website listing. In the past, property records had to be searched and, when found, it was not clear how to start the potential purchase process. In addition, the surplus property process is being redrafted to ensure that the public has fair notice of the surplus status of property before the City agrees to its sale.
The City has identified 55 parcels ranging in size from one-tenth of an acre to about five acres thus far. There are common rectangular, "buildable" lots as well as irregularly-shaped polygons.


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Wednesday, August 07, 2013
Blueberry cake with sour cream filling and coconut topping
We love crumb cakes here in Estonia. Quite a lot. They're cheap, quick, and an excellent way of using up all those jams and preserves and marmalades we're busy making in July and August and September each year. I've stocked my larder with considerable amounts of wild strawberry fridge jam, apricot jam, sour cherry jam with almonds, and cloudberry jam thus far. And while we consume a jar each weekend, spreading generous amounts of last summer's flavour on our Saturday morning pancakes, we still have plenty of jars of canned goodies to spare. That's when you'll make a good old-fashioned Estonian crumb cake with jam filling.
But sometimes you want something different. Although I've got a good variety of crumb cake and blueberry cake recipes up my sleeve, I was immediately drawn to this simple crumb cake with blueberries on Ragne's foodblog (a popular Estonian food blog). I made it couple of times before tweaking a bit. A bit more sour cream in the filling filling makes the cake even creamier, a generous helping of coconut in the topping makes it more flavourful, and a teaspoonful of vanilla in the cream can do no harm either. Note that the cake isn't very sweet - there's less than a cup of sugar, a scant 170 grams, in the whole lot. If you have a really sweet tooth, you may add a wee bit more sugar, but trust me, it's lovely with the amount specified!
Remember: an American cup is about 240 ml and a stick of butter is 113 grams. That - and your high school math - should help you when doing the conversions :)
Blueberry sour cream cake with coconut crumb topping
(Purukook mustikate, hapukoore ja kookoshelvestega)
Serves about 12
Crumb mixture:
180 g all-purpose flour (300 ml)
85 g caster sugar (100 ml)
0.5 tsp baking powder
a pinch of salt
150 g cold butter, cut into cubes
50 g unsweetened desiccated coconut (optional)
2 large eggs
85 g caster sugar (100 ml)
250 g sour cream or Greek yoghurt
30 ml all-purpose flour (50 ml)
1 tsp vanilla sugar or extract
200 g blueberries or bilberries
Line a 30x40 cm Swiss roll tin with a parchment paper. Put aside.
Preheat the oven to 180 C/350 F.
Start with the crumb mixture. Mix the flour, sugar, baking powder and salt until combined. Add the cubed butter and pinch with your fingers until a coarse wet sands forms (I usually use my food processor for that).
Take about two-thirds of the mixture and scatter into the baking tin. Press with the palms of your hand until compact.
Whisk eggs with sugar, sour cream/yogurt, flour and vanill until combined. Spread over the base. Scatter blueberries on top.
Fold coconut flakes into the remaining third of the crumb mixture (if using), then scatter the crumbs over the blueberries.
Bake in a preheated oven for about 40 minutes, until the crumb topping is lovely shade of golden brown.
Cool before cutting into small squares and serving.
More crumb cake recipes:
Classic crumb cake with jam filling @ Nami-Nami
Mascarpone and curd cheese crumb cake @ Nami-Nami
Purukook @ Siit nurgast ja sealt nurgast (recipe in Estonian)
Blueberry crumb cake @ The Pioneer Woman
More blueberry cake recipes:
Coconut and blueberry cake @ Nami-Nami
Blueberry cheesecake @ Nami-Nami
Blueberry sour cream tart @ Nami-Nami
French blueberry tart @ Nami-Nami
Buttermilk-blueberry breakfast cake @ Alexandra's Kitchen
Simple blueberry cake @ Bake or Break
5 comments:
- Heidi said...
Highly recommend. Soooo scrumptious!
- 7:12 pm, August 07, 2013
- Jael said...
Yummy:) I love those crumb cakes too:) I picked up some blueberries a few week ago in Finland which I wanted to take with me here to Israel as there now are direct flights from Helsinki,but forgot my blueberries in my son's freezer:(
- 7:19 pm, August 07, 2013
- tanita♥davis said...
Ooh, looks tasty.
We're doing a lot of experiments with coconut and almond flour, and the nuttiness of coconut flour lends itself so well to berry crumbles - I think it might work well with this. Looks delish!
- 8:13 pm, August 07, 2013
- Hovkonditorn said...
This cake is lovely, I love crumb cakes.
- 11:05 pm, August 07, 2013
- Birthday Party at Home Mumbai said...
thanks for sharing such a lovely recipe.I am not so good at baking and cooking but I am sure this recipe is worth to try.
- 2:15 pm, August 20, 2013
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Alia Janine isn't just some random name — it's actually her real name. And, she might just be one of the most interesting and smartest women in porn. This busty broad (a natural 34FF to be exact) hails from Milwaukee, WI. Her adult career started at 20 when she started dancing at a club in downtown Milwaukee for a year, until she entered college majoring in criminal justice. At 25, Alia returned to the dancing arena to help pay for school. Then, four years later, she decided to seriously pursue feature dancing and modeling professionally, a decision that coincided with a move to Florida after her 30th birthday.
Shortly after that, she officially entered the world of porn and made her first movie, "Mamazon," in 2009 with Score. In August of 2009, she visited L.A., got hooked and has never left. Alia has appeared in several movies for major studios, including Lethal Hardcore, Vince Voyeur Unleashed, Reality Kings, Mike John/Jules Jordan, L Factor, Devil's Film and Evil Angel. Additionally, she has appeared on a plethora of websites including Naughty America, Reality Kings, Kelly Madison, Porn Pros and Score. She has also graced the pages of Score, Gent and D-Cup. Alia has also appeared on Playboy TV's Season 4 of Foursome as the show's hostess. In 2010, Alia received her first awards nominations from XBIZ and AWMDB. Alia is definitely one to keep your eye on with many exciting, future projects in adult and mainstream.
Tattoos: Brass knuckles behind each ear; tattered heart on inside of left arm; lotus flower and dragonfly on right foot; L.A. Dodgers and Milwaukee Brewers logos on left ankle; scorpion on middle to lower back
Non-ear piercings: Left lower lip; navel top and bottom; tongue (very rarely worn anymore)


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Thanksgiving Tablescapes
Thursday, November 15, 2012
19 comments:
Are you sure Thanksgiving is not the week after next??? hahaha jk... Thanks for sharing these ideas! Have a nice Thanksgiving!! www.fabtwigs.blogspot.comReplyDelete
All are absolutely beautiful...the more rustic the better. I'm ready...I think!ReplyDelete
and love those little salt/pepper cellars or dishes made from cabbage leaves...beyond imaginative.
All these ideas are beautiful! I especially love personalizing things for the holidays, so the cute pumpkin and wheat name cards are great!ReplyDelete
Great photos - I love the wheat place cards! I also love the look of the more natural tables settings too but I always feel like I should use my good china since it only gets used once a year! I just did some shopping today but I am not even close to being ready to host next week. We usually have about 23-25 people so it can be a little crazy around here!ReplyDelete
Those are all so pretty. I love the wheat on the placecards. Can not believe it's next week. How did that happen!ReplyDelete
Love the little metallic pumpkins and wheat place cards. Thanksgiving did creep up fast! I'm making lists today for shopping and hope to do organzing and prepping this weekend. Enjoy your weekend Rene.ReplyDelete
I don't think I could be more behind...ugh! I had no business leaving an organizing tip! Have a wonderful weekend, hope you catch up!ReplyDelete
The panic of the holiday has set in here as well. I too thought I had an extra week. I'm blaming it on the hurricane which threw my whole calendar off!ReplyDelete
Lovely settings, I'm keeping it simple this year and focusing on time with family and friends.
Thanksgiving is a bit earlier this year, and it has really snuck up on us! No, I'm not ready. We're not having a large gathering -- just five adults this year -- but I still need to plan the menu, polish the silver, etc. Glad I have the day off Thanksgiving so I can do some baking and prep!ReplyDelete
Happy Thanksgiving,
Rene, I'm all about using natural elements on the table and you have gathered some fabulous inspirational photos. After seeing how good those pumpkins look on the table, I'm thinking that I need to grow some of the unusual varieties next year. I hope you and yours have a wonderful Thanksgiving!ReplyDelete
Haha very much not ready Rene...I know how you feel! But these gorgeous images have certainly gotten me in the mood to get ready for the holidays! So glad and lucky my daughter is hosting this year for the first time since I'm in the middle of moving (in about 13 days!). Actually really looking forward to all of the holidays!ReplyDelete
Have a great weekend Rene...
You are not alone in being caught off guard this week. I was surreptitiously roped into hosting our Thanksgiving this year, for a very small crowd. Since it's just going to be a few of us, I am going all out on the meal and decorating since I'm not stressing. These are fantastic ideas. I just love those green pumpkins which showed up this year in my local pumpkin patch. Such a wonderful color! Thanks for sharing.ReplyDelete
These are all so beautiful -- I am most partial to the first one! :-) And Tumblr really is a great hole -- a blogger's worst nightmare when it comes to sourcing! ;-) I hope you have a wonderful weekend!ReplyDelete
Thanks for the great inspiration! I'm not on my game at all and need to get cracking!ReplyDelete
Each day I am devoting 10 mindful minutes so that I do not feel anxious about the upcoming holidays. I think the worst thing that we can do for our children is to pass on our own anxieties. While I am not ready yet, I will be. I have my lists, my linens pressed, my tables ready, my menu, my recipes and a Thanksgiving Tree for each guest to write something that they are thankful for. We have a wide age span so it will be fun to see all the variations of gratitude.ReplyDelete
I love all the images you have posted. Not only are they inspirational, they are making me excited to celebrate and give thanks,
given the fact that many are homeless this year after Storm Sandy, I cannot imagine not having a home to go to.
Let us all open our hearts, give thanks and celebrate with gratitude.
These are beautiful! I agree, I love using natural elements and adding the personal touches to my tablescapes.ReplyDelete
I'm ready! We got to my MIL's house and I just need to bring some appetizers, so I've got those lined up (well, the ingredients lined up) and ready to make on Wednesday. I started doing Christmas Eve brunch last year with my Mom and my brother and his family, so that was the start of my holiday hostessing and I loved it. Maybe this year I'll remember to snap some photos.ReplyDelete
I'm still putting Halloween away! I'm skipping thanksgiving this year and going straight to Christmas! Beautiful images. I'm in love with the blue/gray heirloom pumpkins...ReplyDelete
Well...better late than never...pinned some of those for next year. One of these days I will host Thanksgiving...when I retire!ReplyDelete
Thanks so much for stopping by! Your questions will be answered here or you can email me at firstname.lastname@example.com


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Explode tree
Collapse tree
Ingredients: Xanthium, Agastache, Ursi, Bovis, Chrysanthemum, Magnolia, Angelica, Lonicera
Direction: See details in the package
* These statements have not been evaluated by the Food and Drug Administration. This product is not intended to diagnose, treat, cure, or prevent any disease.
Content Copyright Mount Spring International


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Team Manager (Head Coach) or Assistant Coach
Being a manager (Head Coach) or assistant coach requires time, patience, and basic knowledge of the game. You may be required to attend meetings, instructional sessions, or seminars. You will communicate with the parents/guardians of your players to inform them of any schedule changes, rainouts, and Little League events and activities.
The manager is the head coach and is ultimately responsible for the team. The manager drafts the team (in tryout divisions), schedules and plans the practices, organizes team volunteers (coaches, team parents, scorekeeper, etc.), coaches the team, and is the primary contact between the league and the team.
A assistant coach helps the manager coach the team and performs any other duties assigned by the manager. A manager can recruit as many assistant coaches as needed but there may only be two assistant coaches with the manager in the dugout during a game.
Aside from calling balls or strikes, safe or out, umpires are responsible for teaching players good sportsmanship and the rules of the game. Umpires are also called upon to interpret rules and help settle minor disputes that may occur during games.
LGLLS utilizes trained junior umpires (League Age 12 and older) and adults to be umpires for AA, AAA and the Majors divisions. There will be free, mandatory umpiring certification clinics prior to the Spring and Fall seasons for new and experienced umpires.
Adult Game Coordinator
For 2013, Little League will continue its directive requiring that there be an "Adult Game Coordinator" on the field for every Little League game. If there is an adult umpire assigned and present at a game, the requirement is met. However, if one or two Junior umpires (younger than 18) are assigned to a game, then the Visiting team is required to provide an Adult Game Coordinator. If the Visiting team cannot provide an Adult Game Coordinator, then the Home team should provide one, otherwise the game cannot begin or continue.
Adult Game Coordinators primary volunteer responsibilities will be to ensure the safety and proper behavior of all spectators and participants, noting that team managers are ultimately responsible for their team's spectators and participants. These volunteers will oversee the conduct of all players, managers, coaches and umpires and also monitor and help enforce weather delays and cancellations, noting that the field must be cleared for 30 minutes following a sighting of lightning or the sound of thunder.
LGLLS is always looking for individuals interested in helping us acquire league sponsors and supporting other fundraising activities.
Special Events
We have several events (with little time committment) that we need help with additional coordination.
Team Parent
The team parent is someone who wants to help out with the team any way he/she can. They help out during practices, pre and post game field set up/take down, volunteer to umpire the field, maintain team website, coordinate snack schedules, take candid pictures for team website, and other things as needed by the coach/team.
New Privacy Policy


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The Lady with a Hat
The eighth instalment of the FFF held last night at The Horse Hospital, centred around the period of the Second Word War. The intimate screening included a selection of newsreels and instructional 'make-do-and-mend' shorts as well as a one-hour long documentary focusing on the extraordinarily eventful life of the Jewish milliner May Aubert. The staggering (sometimes unbelievable) series of events, told charismatically by the eighty-seven year old herself, details her prolific career making hats for stars including Marlene Dietrich, her escape from the Nazis and her fascinating journey from Stockholm -via Moscow and Japan- to Canada in which she resourcefully smuggled 100,000 Norwegian Kroner in the lining of one of her hats.


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"You see, there are a lot of scientific data that I've found out as a scientist that actually show that this is really a young Earth," he said. "I don't believe that the Earth's but about 9,000 years old. I believe it was created in six days as we know them. That's what the Bible says."
this man is a doctor, and has a degree in chemistry. behold, the power of religion to make smart people stupid.
Views: 1482
The stupid still burns ... I just wish it would burn THEM.
I agree with you booklover. He has all those degrees yet he is not using them - or using his brain.
That prick knows on which side his bread is buttered, mythology is good for the wallet.
Ordinarily I might suggest that someone get a hold of Richard Dawkins and have him take this fatuous lump aside, teach him how things are. Problem is, he would either not learn or not listen or both. People like this live with the benefits of modern science, but they cannot or will not recognize where those benefits come from.
"Very interesting ... but stupid"
That's what we need, Nappy - a revival of Rowan and Martin's Laugh-In!
Broun is a huckster and a liar. He knows that creationism is bullshit He's pandering to his ignorant and stupid constituents. As long as he regurgitates the sacred mantra of the creationist: evolution and science are of the devil and the earth is six thousand years old and Adam had a pet Dinosaur he will be reelected. I've said it before... You can't cure stupid.
_____ a "lie straight from the pit of hell"
Fill in the blank with anything that doesn't support or agree with whichever religion's particular "beliefs." It's not them or their ridiculous worldview that's the problem. No, it's the devil toying with humans. LOL
I have a brilliant friend who inexplicably turned into a literal fundamentalist young earth creationist in middle age. His most recent bit of apologia is c-decay hypothesis (the notion that the speed of light has been slowing, and so the biblical numbers really do work). He is, in fact, illustrating Barry Setterfield's next book on the subject. To those with a deep need to shore up their beliefs, the mirror image of science (projecting data from hypothesis) feels like good science.
My take is that this is not necessarily stupid but is dishonest, even if unconsciously. I don't think that my friend really believes this hooey, but for whatever reason needs to live as if he does. About all I can come up with to explain it is early childhood indoctrination that inflicts unconscious punishment on the intellect whenever it conflicts with programming. It's been difficult maintaining our long friendship because every conversation of a non-trivial nature ends quickly when I push (perhaps too hard at times) and he begs excessive stress.
I teach science at a high school in south central Nebraska. Another science teacher from my school wrote this letter to the local newspaper. Please respond online to the letter. If we get a flood of responses, maybe people will notice. He is doing a lot of damage in his classes. Students are suffering.
Thanks for anyone who takes the time to write.
ok - will write - thanks for the link Stan
What do you expect from a redneck state. Scary, isn't it? At least, he didn't say it is god's will for a raped woman to get pregnant and that real rape can't result in pregnancy. But then he probably would.
© 2019 Atheist Nexus. All rights reserved. Admin: The Nexus Group. Powered by


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The lowly light bulb came in for closer congressional scrutiny Thursday, amid claims that federal energy-efficiency standards are a dim bulb idea.
At the center of the matter is the BULB Act, legislation that has 27 cosponsors in the Senate and a companion bill in the House. It would repeal the part of a 2007 law that toughened energy-efficiency standards for light bulbs, lambasting the standard as overregulation that is paternalistic and anticonsumer.
The hearing on the legislation, like the incandescent bulb at the center of the fight, produced about 95 percent heat and 5 percent light. Even as freshman Sen. Rand Paul (R) of Kentucky, a tea party favorite, argued against the need for efficiency standards for light bulbs, the industry's representatives said the 2007 law had improved their competitiveness and created more consumer choice.
SPECIAL REPORT: The future of energy
Lighting represents about 10 percent of a typical US household's electric bill, and new-style light bulbs that meet standards set by Congress in 2007 could save consumers nearly $6 billion in 2015, Kathleen Hogan, deputy assistant secretary for energy efficiency, told the committee. One household that upgraded 15 inefficient incandescent light bulbs could save as much as $50 per year, she said.
That did not sway supporters of the Better Use of Light Bulbs (BULB) Act, who characterized their bill as a bid to throw off heavy-handed federal regulation and a government-knows-all approach, while widening consumer choice.
"You're really anti-choice on every other consumer item that you've listed here, including light bulbs, refrigerators, toilets, you name it," Sen. Rand Paul (R) of Kentucky chided Ms. Hogen. "You can't go around your house without being told what to buy. You restrict my purchases. You don't care about my choices. You don't care about the consumer, frankly. You raise the cost of all the items with all your rules, all your notions that you know what's best for me."
Senator Paul also declared that the light bulb and other efficiency standards for appliances, beside being anticonsumer choice, had sent jobs overseas.
"I find it insulting that a lot of these products you're going to make us buy – and you won't let us buy what we want to buy," he said. "These things you want us to buy are often made in foreign countries. You ship jobs overseas."
Appliance and lighting industry representatives and efficiency experts, however, testified that tougher energy-efficiency standards had prompted an industrywide retooling. That retooling, they said, created many thousands of new jobs in the US and increased consumer choice of light bulbs.
"We are proud that our industry is one of the very few US industries that enjoys an over $2 billion positive balance of trade," said Stephen Yurek, president of the Air-Conditioning, Heating, and Refrigeration Institute, a trade association. "We build equipment here in North America and export it to nations around the world." The manufacturing side of the industry, he said, accounts for 250,000 American jobs, plus 1 million more maintainance, distribution, and installation jobs.
Light bulb makers have a similar story, said Kyle Pitsor of the National Electric Manufacturers Association (NEMA). The BULB bill would be bad for US light bulb makers, who have already upgraded factories to meet new standards and would face a patchwork of state regulations if the uniform federal 2007 standard were rolled back, he said.
"NEMA does not support its repeal," said Mr. Pitsor. "It's a common misunderstanding, but these standards do not ban incandescent bulbs, nor do they mandate the use of compact fluorescent bulbs.... Consumers will still be able to purchase a general service incandescent bulb," but one that will be 28 percent more efficient.
The old incandescent bulb is definitely an energy hog: Just 5 percent of the electricity it uses goes to light the bulb and the rest produces heat. Incandescent bulbs are burning in most of the 3 billion to 4 billion screw-in sockets in US homes and businesses, the US Department of Energy reports. New-style bulbs generally cost more, but they also last longer.
If all homes and businesses used bulbs that are 35 to 75 percent more efficient, they would collectively save almost $10 billion a year in energy costs. The switch would cut energy demand enough to eliminate the need to build dozens of coal-fired power plants, adds the Natural Resources Defense Council, an environmental group.
"The federal appliance and equipment efficiency standards program is a great energy-efficiency success story, with Congress adopting new standards in each of the last three decades on a bipartisan basis," Steve Nadel, executive director of the American Council for an Energy Efficient Economy, said in his prepared remarks. And it has been popular, too.
Despite negative publicity about an incandescent lamp "ban," a recent USA Today survey found that 61 percent of Americans said the 2007 legislation was a "good" law versus 31 percent who called it "bad," he said.


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Lucy's face is my favorite part.
Lucy's face is my favorite part.
what about ? :<
Yashy is a lizard?? I thought she was a dinosaur O.o
The saur in dinosaur means lizard.
Yashy is a Yoshi
But... but... D=
yes she is
wow i like how u made yashy's face look heroic and brave


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The 2010 Catalyst Awards Dinner, sponsored by PepsiCo, Inc., and Shell Oil Company, was held Wednesday, March 24, 2010, at The Waldorf Astoria in New York.
2010 Catalyst Awards Dinner
Catalyst Event
24 March 2010
Price: Free
Jim Skinner, Chief Executive Officer of McDonald's Corporation, served as Dinner Chair. James S. Turley, Chairman & CEO of Ernst & Young LLP and Chair of the Catalyst Board of Directors, presented the 2010 Catalyst Award to leaders of Campbell Soup Company, Deloitte LLP, RBC, and Telstra Corporation Limited for their organizations' outstanding initiatives to advance women.
Campbell Soup Company
Campbell Soup Company's comprehensive initiative, Winning in the Workplace, Winning in the Marketplace, Winning With Women, has utilized employee engagement, knowledge sharing, and innovation to develop a culture of diversity and inclusion and support the company's overall plan to transform its workplace and marketplace performance. Since 2005, the company has sustained a strategic focus on increasing all employees' engagement, and promoting and developing women and people of color, improving Campbell's stagnant sales and some of the lowest Gallup engagement scores of any Fortune 500 company to world-class employee engagement and the achievement of Gallup's "Great Workplace Award" in 2008 and 2009. This strategy is also aligned with business objectives designed to ensure the makeup of Campbell's workforce mirrors its diverse audience of consumers, 80 percent of whom are women.
The initiative features unique components that support all employees: a robust diversity and inclusion strategy utilizes staff across office and manufacturing plant sites for both internal efforts and marketplace development. Campbell's Leadership Model is linked to business strategies, driving both how work is accomplished and what results are achieved. In addition, the development of a company-wide culture of mentoring and inclusion was supported by unique affinity networks and events. These included the Women of Campbell's Network, whose model was used as a basis for a diverse set of affinity networks. For example, Campbell's BRIDGE Network was designed to bridge the various generations in the workplace. Affinity events featured communications programs such as an OPEN Network (for lesbian, gay, bisexual, and transgender employees) celebration of diverse families, where employees across the company were invited to submit photos or video of their families to display at workplace entrances, and panel discussions with Campbell's senior women. Accountability is embedded into performance reviews and affects compensation, with diversity learning goals required as part of all employee development plans.
Winning in the Workplace, Winning in the Marketplace, Winning With Women has achieved strong results: from 2005 to 2009, women in executive roles increased from 21 percent to 25 percent. In manufacturing roles, the percentage of women and women of color plant directors and managers increased from 14 percent to 21 percent, and from 1 percent to 3 percent, respectively. Through five years of women running business lines that contribute to a majority of the company's U.S. profit and a strategic focus on embedding women's contributions in product development, Campbell has delivered cumulative total shareowner returns above the company's peer group average.
Deloitte LLP
Deloitte LLP's The Women's Initiative: Living the Lattice builds on the success of the Task Force of the Initiative for the Retention and Advancement of Women. The mission of the Women's Initiative (WIN) is to drive marketplace growth and create a culture where the best talent chooses to work. Launched in 1993, WIN addressed two related issues: a high rate of female attrition and underrepresentation of women in leadership positions. Achieving WIN's goals created significant change in the organization's culture and provided an engine for innovation, becoming a model for other organizations in the process. The expanded initiative builds upon and advances sustainability through constant recalibration of the organization's focus to address emerging trends and by driving accountability. WIN also features a high-powered External Advisory Council, chaired by Dr. Sally Ride, that helps drive leadership and organizational accountability.
Unique components include a broad range of leadership and development programs. Nationally led Women As Buyers workshops address the distinctive communication and decision-making styles of women, while regional career development programs prepare Deloitte's women for advancement at all levels. Local community-based and virtual learning and networking events also contribute to the growth of and opportunities for Deloitte's women. To support an inclusive and flexible culture, Deloitte shifted from a traditional corporate ladder to a more customized model of career growth, development, and advancement that it dubs the corporate latticeTM. This approach provides a sustainable career-life fit without sacrificing a high level of performance. Mass Career Customization (MCC), an innovation that was designed and incubated in WIN, enables Deloitte employees to dial up and dial down their levels of contribution and career progression along with changing life stages. Deloitte holds its leaders accountable through various means including Talent Days, which feature in-person reports directly to the CEO on inclusion progress and goals, among other business imperatives.
The Women's Initiative has fueled significant increases for women in leadership: women's representation as partners, principals, and directors has risen from 6 percent in 1995 to 22 percent in 2009, and representation of women senior managers has increased from 23 percent to 36 percent in the same timeframe. In addition, the gender turnover gap decreased from 7 percent in 1995 to less than 1 percent during 2009. Deloitte reached an additional milestone in 2009 when it surpassed the 1,000 mark for U.S. women partners, principals, and directors.
RBC's initiative, Client First Transformation: Achieving Business Results and Cultural Revitalization Through Diversity, embeds diversity and inclusion (D&I) principles into its approach with employees, clients, and communities, contributing to a more client-focused business strategy while revitalizing its corporate culture. A diverse employee population, inclusive of women, visible minorities, Aboriginal peoples, people with disabilities, and lesbian, gay, bisexual, and transgender (LGBT) individuals, helps build institutional knowledge and understanding about important cultural markets in Canada and around the globe. Since 2005, the company has focused on increasing the representation of women and other diverse employees in executive and pipeline positions, developing programs and highly integrated talent management practices to accelerate growth and enable individual and organizational success.
The initiative includes many components to ensure employee success, including targeted recruitment strategies in which recruiters go through cross-cultural training, and specific programs designed to reach newcomers to Canada and people with disabilities. A women's market strategy targeted to women business owners includes a dedicated public website and internal positions where women serve as experts for this market segment. Additionally, an Aboriginal banking effort includes a public action plan and offers full service and remote banking on many Aboriginal reserves. RBC's strong mentoring culture includes programs such as Diversity Dialogues, in which executives partner with women and visible minority employees to learn about diversity while providing their mentees with career development advice. A robust succession planning approach ensures diversity in succession pools, while staffing goals include women in one of every two positions at both the senior manager and executive levels, and for visible minorities, one in four positions at the senior manager level and one in five at the executive level. The process also includes coaching and development plans provided for women and visible minorities who were on staffing lists but did not get promoted. Employees are held accountable through cascading performance goals and multiple scorecards that track progress and guide compensation and promotion decisions.
Among other significant business benefits, the Client First Transformation initiative continues to generate solid increases for women across the company: building on a strong base, women in executive roles (executive vice presidents, senior vice presidents, and vice presidents) increased from 35 percent to 39 percent from 2005 to 2009, and women's representation as corporate officers (senior vice president level and above) has grown from 27 percent to more than 30 percent during that same time period. Women in the high-potential talent pool increased from 31 percent to 43 percent, with 21 percent being visible minority women.
Telstra Corporation Limited
Telstra's initiative, Next Generation Gender Diversity: Accelerating Change for Women Leaders, uses an integrated approach to increase women's representation at senior and pipeline levels and engage men as change agents, creating an inclusive culture of mentoring and networking. As Australia's largest telecommunications provider, Telstra believes it has a responsibility to serve as a leader for women and other underrepresented groups across the country. Its initiative has fueled a mindset shift, culminating in a work environment that values diverse leadership. Since 2005, Telstra's gender diversity strategy has evolved from siloed efforts into a company-wide initiative that supports women and other priority groups, including Indigenous peoples and lesbian, gay, bisexual, and transgender (LGBT) employees. To achieve these goals, Telstra formed a diversity council, followed by seven diversity taskforces, including gender, to strategically implement organization-wide processes and programs.
Unique components that benefit all employees include mentoring and gender leadership programs for both women and men to reinforce the importance of gender diversity and how it can make a personal impact; an annual company-wide pay equity review program to correct anomalies based on gender; an effective succession planning process that identifies and supports talented individuals, with goals for women candidates; an external women's leadership award, the Telstra Business Women's Awards (TBWA), which honors outstanding women in business, community, and government sectors across Australia and helps them accelerate their advancement and realize their potential; and work-life flexibility efforts which include a gender-neutral paid parental leave policy to benefit all employees, including same-sex couples. Accountability mechanisms include monthly executive-level monitoring of gender metrics to accelerate progress and diversity goals that are tied to performance and advancement outcomes for people managers and leaders.
Next Generation Gender Diversity has delivered solid increases for women leaders at Telstra and in the community: for women in the pipeline (general managers, area managers, and managers), total share of promotions grew steadily from 29 percent in 2006 to 41 percent in 2009. Representation of women on the CEO Leadership Team increased from 6 percent to 31 percent, and the number of women corporate officers has grown from 31 percent to 35 percent during that same time period. TBWA recognizes and celebrates the role of women in business. Success stories include a former high school principal in a rural area who became State Manager of the Federal Department of Education and a small prospecting company owner who transformed her business into a powerful mining house.
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