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Monday, June 22, 2009
Infor juices up its maintenance program value with Infor Flex
Infor announced enhancements to its software maintenance offerings today. The program, dubbed Infor Flex, allows customers at little or no license costs to upgrade to the latest, SOA-enabled versions of their Infor products or to exchange those products for other, newer products in Infor's portfolio.
I won't spend more time describing the program, as Infor has a good blog post on Infor Flex with embedded presentations. On balance, I would say it is a good move on Infor's part.
As I've written in the past, with its huge installed base, Infor has an opportunity to differentiate itself from its competitors in terms of its maintenance program. Many of its customers are on older legacy products, which Infor or its predecessor companies acquired over the past several years. Some of them pay maintenance, others don't. Most of them are going to do something in terms of new systems in the coming years. Infor has some decent up-to-date products in its portfolio, such as Baan and Syteline. But how can they compete against SAP, Oracle at the high end, or Microsoft, Lawson, IFS, and others in the mid-tier? The only way is to make upgrading or exchanging the customer's legacy products a no-brainer. This is what Infor Flex is intended to do.
It remains to be seen whether this program will succeed in moving significant numbers of its installed base to its newer products. On the one hand, I spoke to one early adopter of Infor's Open SOA products a couple months ago, and he was very positive about the experience. He also spoke well of Infor's maintenance and support services. This is a good sign and it says more to me than any number of vendor press releases and statements about future direction.
On the other hand, by my observation, Infor gets "outsold" by other vendors, even in situations where it is the incumbent supplier. Current economic conditions are likely limiting its ability to more aggressively and thoroughly present its leading products, such as Baan and Syteline. Hopefully, the new Infor Flex program will provide a more compelling value proposition, allowing Infor to win more deals where it already has a customer relationship.
I would like to see this program succeed. In these days, customers need more alternatives, not fewer.
Update: I see Vinnie has already posted his view on Infor Flex. Read Flex should also include down, not just up. Vinnie points out that the "flex" option is only for more product and services, not less. A good point, but Infor is reluctant to give customers an option to pay less than they're paying now. Of course, Infor is not alone in this reluctance.
Update: Dennis Howlett weighs in, in his usual style: curmudgeonly. Read the whole piece, at least to see how Dennis can manage a reference to Hulk Hogan when talking about ERP.
Related posts
Infor's opportunity: value in maintenance and support
Infor buying SoftBrands, owner of Fourth Shift
Enterprise software: who wants to be the low-cost leader?by Frank Scavo, 6/22/2009 09:11:00 AM | permalink | e-mail this!
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Friday, June 12, 2009
Infor buying SoftBrands, owner of Fourth Shift
Looks like the vendor consolidation trend in ERP is not yet over. Infor announced this morning that it is buying SoftBrands, for $80 million. Softbrands adds two new products to the 50+ ERP systems in Infor's wide-reaching portfolio of enterprise software.
SoftBrands may not be a well-known name, but one of the two products in its portfolio is better know: Fourth Shift, a Tier III ERP system that has been around for some time and has a fairly extensive installed base among small and mid-size manufacturing firms.
What's most interesting about this deal at first glance is that Fourth Shift has had a partnership relationship with SAP since 2004 to offer Fourth Shift as a small plant solution to SAP Business One customers. Business One is SAP's small company ERP system, which does not have extensive manufacturing system functionality of its own.
Whether SAP is going to be willing to extend this relationship with Infor going forward remains to be seen. SAP views Infor's installed base as a target for its own sales efforts, so a continued partner relationship with Fourth Shift may be awkward. Loss of the SAP relationship would no doubt be a significant loss to Fourth Shift, but Infor surely must have considered this risk already.
SoftBrands' other products are systems for the hospitality industry, which it picked up in 2006 with its acquisition of Hotel Information Systems (HIS).
Details on the deal are in Infor's press release.
Update, Jun 15. Jason Carter, in a series of Twitter direct messages to me, raises some interesting question: why didn't SAP buy SoftBrands? It would seem an obvious way for SAP to build out its functionality for Business One. If SAP wasn't in the bidding, what does that say about SAP's commitment to Business One? If SAP was in the bidding, why did Softbrands go with Infor?
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SAP plugs hole in Business Oneby Frank Scavo, 6/12/2009 06:25:00 AM | permalink | e-mail this!
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Thursday, June 11, 2009
Gartner Mid-Market ERP Magic Quadrant: Should Have Stayed in Retirement
Back in 2007, I noted that Gartner had retired its mid-market ERP Magic Quadrant (MQ). As my source said at the time, the reason was that as a result of consolidation there were not enough vendors left in midmarket ERP to populate the quadrant.
Well, apparently Gartner found some more vendors and has now brought the mid-market ERP MQ back from retirement.
As soon as Gartner had issued its latest Magic Quadrant for Midmarket and Tier 2-Oriented ERP for Product-Centric Companies, resellers for Microsoft Dynamics AX (Axapta) were touting its position in the so-called "leaders quadrant." In fact, according to Gartner, MS Dynamics AX is the only product worthy to occupy a place in the leaders quadrant, a fact that Microsoft itself was quick to proclaim in a press release today.
A quick look at the MQ itself, however, shows some problems. In fact, it is difficult for anyone familiar with these vendors to understand how Gartner could come up with this evaluation. For example:
Perhaps the answer is in how these criteria are defined. Gartner does list the factors it considers.
- QAD and Syspro show a better "ability to execute" than any SAP or Oracle product
- Epicor Vantage shows a better "completeness of vision" than any SAP or Oracle product
This is not meant as a slam on either QAD, Syspro, or Epicor, but how is it possible that QAD or Syspro in the current economy can have the "overall viability" to allow them to execute better than SAP or Oracle, with their fat maintenance revenue streams? And how is it possible for Epicor to have a better geographic strategy than SAP or Oracle? Gartner does not release individual scoring for each vendor for each factor, so perhaps it scored these vendors better on other criteria.
- Ability to execute: product/service, overall viability, sales execution/pricing, market responsiveness and track record, marketing execution, customer experience, and operations.
- Completeness of Vision: market understanding, marketing strategy, sales strategy, offering (product) strategy, business model, vertical/industry strategy, innovation, geographic strategy.
Nevertheless, my issues with Gartner's Magic Quadrant for Midmarket and Tier 2-Oriented ERP for Product-Centric Companies are several fold:
Furthermore, the MQ does damage in the sales cycle as vendors are quick use the MQ in their sales presentations, if their position is favorable, with the implication that prospects ought to choose them because of it. First-time buyers, especially in small or midsize companies, may not understand the misuse of the MQ in this way.
- As indicated above, the positionings make no sense to anyone familiar with these vendors.
- Gartner's criteria for evaluation are almost certainly going to be different from the criteria of a specific buyer. For example, if I run a manufacturing company with operations solely in the U.S, why do I care about worldwide geographic presence?
- As a buyer, is "completeness of vision" really one of the two primary criteria in evaluation? How about fit to my functional requirements and industry? On this note alone, IFS and Lawson, with their industry-specific focus are being shortchanged in this version of the MQ.
- The MQ is incomplete in terms of vendors. Specifically, as Vinnie Mirchandani pointed out in a private Tweet to me, Gartner has conveniently left out the pure SaaS vendors, such as NetSuite and Intaact, from this MQ.
To be fair to Gartner, the fine print at the bottom of its study says:Gartner does not endorse any vendor, product or service depicted in the Magic Quadrant, and does not advise technology users to select only those vendors placed in the "Leaders" quadrant. The Magic Quadrant is intended solely as a research tool, and is not meant to be a specific guide to action.Nevertheless, I think this MQ does more harm than good. In my opinion, Gartner should have left it in peace to enjoy its retirement.
Update: Quick on the trigger, Vinnie weighs in.
Update, Jun. 11: Dennis Howlett finds plenty of other shortcomings in this MQ
Update, Jun. 12: Thomas Wailgum, blogging for CIO Magazine, is dripping with sarcasm concerning both Gartner and Microsoft.
Update, Jun 19: Gartner's Jim Holincheck responds.
Related posts
Gartner retires mid-market ERP magic quadrantby Frank Scavo, 6/11/2009 10:03:00 AM | permalink | e-mail this!
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Friday, June 05, 2009
Oracle layoffs, June 2009
Go to latest news on Oracle layoffs, November 2009.
Based on the large number of search engine referrals to the Spectator this morning, it appears that another layoff is underway at Oracle. As it turns out, a surge in such hits in the past has been an early indicator of layoffs, as news spreads within the organization and people search for more information.
If you have information or more details on what functions are affected, and numbers of terminated employees, please post a comment to this post or email me. Anonymity is honored, as always.
Update, Jun. 10: I have just received confirmation on one point made by the second and third comments on this post. At least one Oracle sales rep here in Southern California has been laid off and replaced by someone working out of (get this) India. I'm not sure how an India-based salesperson is supposed to rep product in Southern California.by Frank Scavo, 6/05/2009 09:56:00 AM | permalink | e-mail this!
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Wednesday, June 03, 2009
The downside of vendor consolidation
Consolidation is generally an excellent strategy for reducing the cost of IT while maintaining or even improving service levels. Server consolidation, storage consolidation, data center consolidation, and applications consolidation are all examples of strategies that organizations use to accomplish these objectives. Our research at Computer Economics on consolidation consistently points to strong return on investment experiences of organizations that undergo server consolidation, storage consolidation, data center consolidation, and applications consolidation.
Vendor consolidation may also be included in the list. Reducing the number of IT suppliers has a number of benefits: fewer contracts to administer and volume discounts are two obvious examples. But vendor consolidation has one big downside: risk of vendor lock-in.
Vinnie Mirchandani has an excellent post on this subject this morning, Why I am not an Apple Fanboy. He writes,The benefits of vendor consolidation are grossly overrated. Split your dollars across many vendors. Also, vendors often misinterpret long term relationships as license to pull lock-in shenanigans. Benchmark them constantly and refresh your vendor base periodically.This is especially true in the case of enterprise software, such as ERP, CRM, business intelligence, and supply chain management systems. Once these systems are in place, it is very difficult to switch. Hence, enterprise software vendors promote the concept of vendor consolidation, with all of its benefits to the customer, realizing that it is also of immense value to the vendor that remains. Nowhere is this better seen than in the drive by major vendors, such as SAP and Oracle, in charging their software maintenance fees at 22% of original software license cost.
Larger firms especially have options. It is still the exception, rather than the rule, for large companies to standardize on a single enterprise software vendor. Most have two or more vendors, whether by design, or more likely as the result of mergers and acquisitions. What I am suggesting, which is contrary to conventional wisdom, is that there is some benefit to this situation. Rather than consolidate to a single vendor, rationalize the choices made and consolidate to no fewer than two.
There are several ways this strategy could be maintained. For example:
Vendor consolidation does have merit in supplier relationships that do not lend themselves to vendor lock-in. Think supplies, such as laser printer toner. Or, temporary staffing. Or, equipment leasing.
- Consolidate to a single vendor for worldwide financials, but standardize operational systems on another vendor's platform. Always leave the option open to replace one with the other.
- Consolidate to a single vendor for centralized CRM and order management, while allowing one or two different vendors to provide operational systems at the plant level, perhaps one for large plants and one for small plants.
- Revive a best of breed approach. Leave HR, asset management, and other non-core systems outside the scope of the primary vendor's implementation.
- Test vendors' touted SOA capabilities to build composite applications. If these capabilities really are what vendors say they are, they ought to allow "seamless integration" with third party applications.
But when it comes to enterprise applications, beware of vendor consolidation.by Frank Scavo, 6/03/2009 10:19:00 AM | permalink | e-mail this!
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RR80 necesitaba un nuevo diseño de otro y lanzó un concurso de diseño en 99designs.
Un ganador ha sido elegido entre 22 diseños de 6 diseñadores freelance.
It is only the beginning. We have a new venture that is dealing with 3 segments currently.
1) Commercial Real Estate
2) Alternative Energy
3) Commodity Trading
TerraKon - Group of Companies
1) We need a Logo - please find the rather detailed briefing below.
2) We need an over-all web-design, or a good selection of the segments we are dealing with. Once we have established this Phase we will move on to design the sub-firms in a new contest.
- Type: We seek a crest on a shield as a rather neutral but elegant impression. The following shield type's are preferred:
- - Edged
- Badge
- Elegant
- Ornate
- Ornamental
- Preferred Colours: Black, Silver, Gold & Red / Orange -- of course ifyou have your design idea, just do it. We are not bound to the aboveColors.
- Crest: For the Shield we thought of the Fleur-de-Lis in order to signify perfection, light, and life to our clients.
- We dont need any written form of the logo, simply the shield & crest. As the Logo with text comes in the second round.- WEBDESIGN:
- One Intro Design that sticks to the roots of the Logo design. (Intro Page should include the option for the Segment selection for Real Estate, Alternative Energy a. Commodity Trading)
- One Design for Commercial Real Estate, Alternative Energy & Commodity Trading. (or an over-all design that would suit all three segments accordingly.)
- We dont need kitchy stuff.

subset: commoncrawl


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Community First Credit Union's monthly Community First Saturdays event at the Northbank Riverwalk always draws crowds with its food trucks and family-friendly river atmosphere. With a large-scale beer sampling, live music, a JTA Skyway Express scavenger hunt, river-side tai chi, a San Marco bicycle tour and sunny warm weather added to the mix, the April 6 event was especially hopping.
Hundreds came out to sample from more than 30 different beers, many brewed in Northeast Florida, for the second annual Jax Beer Week Grand Tasting. A $2 ticket bought guests a 4-ounce sample, or they could choose a full 12-ounce brew for $4.
Jacksonville-based bands Canary in the Coalmine, RickoLus and Four Families each played live sets for a makeshift beer garden audience, seated on the lawn behind the Times-Union Center for the Performing Arts.
Food trucks lined nearby Pearl Street, serving up everything from specialty coffee, cupcakes and shaved ice to pizza, tacos and fried mac 'n' cheese.
Special events are announced for each month's Community First Saturday on the event Facebook page and blog.


text: Welding Wisdom August 26, 2011 11:29 PM Tweet Farmers Doug Dulmage, Duane George and Joe Hoffman display the custom signs they made to take home from Miller Welding University. © Margy Fischer TAGS: Marketing, Overseas December 18, 2014 By Margy Eckelkamp Director of Content Development, Machinery Pete Email Miller Welding University awards three farmers with trips, tips and prizes It was quite the birthday present for Republic, Ohio, farmer Duane George when Farm Journal called to say he was the grand-prize winner in the 2011 Miller Welding University Contest. Two other winners, Doug Dulmage of Leeds, N. D., and Joe Hoffman of Osmond, Neb., joined George for an all-expenses-paid trip to Appleton, Wis., to receive instruction from the pros at Miller Electric Mfg. Co. The two-day event kicked off with a tour of Miller Electric world headquarters. "We are proud to say that our products are all made in the U.S.," says Chris Wierschke, product manager for the Bobcat and Trailblazer lines. When it was time to head to the welding labs with the Miller welding engineers, the three farmers were ready with questions from the farm. "I took my welder out of its box and just taught myself how to operate it," Dulmage says. "I want to learn proper technique and the tricks of the trade." Tips to try. The first hands-on demonstration was stick welding. "People call the 6013 welding electrode the 'farmer's rod' because it's forgiving and easy to run," says Amanda D'Arcy, welding engineer. "No matter what electrode you are using, it's best to remove surface impurities [paint, rust or dirt] and take the slag off of your weld, especially if you're welding multipass." The most popular Miller product is the Millermatic all-in-one MIG welder line. MIG welding works on most metals, but, overall, the weld bead should be twice the thickness of the material. Whether using self-shielded wire or gas-shielded wire, match the polarity. "When polarity is wrong, your bead looks wrong," says Jon Ertmer, marketing manager for integrated MIG. "With gas-shielded solid wire, use a push tech-nique, as it flattens the bead out. With a self-shielded flux core wire, drag. The way to remember is 'when you have slag, drag.' " Hoffman says he wanted to learn how to effectively weld aluminum with the Spoolmate 200 Series spool gun he took home as part of his prize package. "We work a lot on our center pivots, and there are aluminum components that we have to repair," he says. Engineer John Granato says that when welding aluminum, you need to use 100% argon gas. He also suggests starting with 4043 aluminum wire. The three farmers got to test drive TIG welding equipment and techniques. The biggest advantages of TIG welding are precision, a smaller heat-affected zone and the ability to weld materials thought to be unweldable. Farmers are familiar with oxy-fuel cutting, but there are benefits to plasma cutting. Hoffman uses plasma cutting when fabricating knives for his anhydrous bar, cutting a three-day job to one. "Anything that conducts electricity, steel, stainless, aluminum, even cast iron, can be cut with plasma," says Steve Hidden, product manager, plasma products. "The key is knowing your plasma cutter's limits with the thickness of the metal. The more amperage available, the thicker the cut." Miller launched a new line of welding gloves, and the Welding University attendees got to try them before they were released to the public. In addition to welding know-how, the three farmers took home their choice of Miller products. Dulmage will take an older Bobcat model he owns and use it as the household backup generator while installing his new Bobcat 250 welder/generator on his farm service truck. Before Welding University was over, George had several projects in mind that he wants to tackle with the Spectrum 625 X-TREME plasma cutter he took back to the farm along with a Millermatic 212 Auto-Set with MVP MIG welder and Spoolmate 200 Series spool gun. Win Your Own Trip There are three ways to enter to win the latest welding tools and training at the 2012 Welding University: win the "I Built the Best" contest, win the $100 Ideas contest or fill out a survey at www.FarmJournal.com. Back to news


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No comment is a team of 5 students from the Queensland University of Technology in Brisbane, Australia. They are working together on their 3rd year project simply known as Sp.A.I. A 3rd person puzzle platformer that takes place in the digital world. The team consists of ABBEY MIRANDA (Concept Artist / Character Modeller / Rigger / Animator) CLYDE SMETS (Static Mesh Modeller / Texture Artist / Level Designer) JOSEPH HITZKE (Programmer) RYAN HAYWARD (Designer / Programmer) STEVEN SCOTT (Designer / Level Designer / UDK Scripter) SARA BYRNE (Music Composer) ALEX ANGUIX (Sound Design)
No videos were found in the gallery requested. Upload some media to liven this place up.


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Shamrocks Rover's player Mickey Drenan is talking a break from football to deal with depression. He is doing the right thing ad talking about it as to many people are hiding it and not getting the help they need.
http://www.rte.ie/sport/soccer/2016/051 ... y-drennan/
Mickey Drennan
Yes, there are other things to discuss apart from Dundalk F.C. and feel free to discuss them here!
Moderators: Duffman, Colin Gallagher
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Mickey Drennan
SUPPORT THE DFC TRUST AND PATRON SCHEME http://www.dundalkfc.com/membership.asp
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Re: Mickey Drennan
Could be an interesting development for Pat Hoban as his Oxford future is up in the air. Agreed on Drennan and the positives in how he is approaching things and not just suffering on.
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Re: Mickey Drennan
My thoughts and prayers are with Mikey Drennan in this very difficult time. A terrible, terrible illness.
The Back of the Wall
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The neuroscience interdisciplinary minor introduces you to a field of science that has experienced an explosion of information and technological innovation.
An understanding of how the brain, the "organ of consciousness," functions and endows human beings with the capacity to know, to feel, and to value, requires a multidisciplinary research effort. In keeping with the liberal arts tradition, the interdisciplinary minor provides you with an opportunity to explore another dimension of our humanity—the biological substrate of all our moral and mental faculties.
The neuroscience interdisciplinary minor is administered by the Neuroscience Advisory Committee, and the faculty liaison is Prof. Julio Ramirez.
You should submit a written proposal to Prof. Ramirez (email@example.com) by the last day of the spring semester of the junior year. The proposal should specify the courses that will be used to satisfy the interdisciplinary minor requirements. If any of the courses are to be independent studies, research courses, or seminars, you must provide the advisory committee with a complete description of the courses before the semester of enrollment.
Certification of completion of all requirements for the interdisciplinary minor is made by the Registrar upon recommendation of the advisory committee.
Additional information about the neuroscience interdisciplinary minor is available in the College Catalog.


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Dear Girls of the World,
First of all I have to say: Congratulations! We have all come a long way from once being mistakenly called the inferior sex. I remember the first time I read Aristotle's view that a female is an incomplete male, "or as it were, a deformity." I was really offended and furious. The first thing that popped in my mind was, "We have to prove all our detractors wrong." But we definitely can't do that with 60 million of our girls out of school! So yes, we have come a long way, but we are still not there yet.
A wise friend recently told me: No child in the developing world has died directly due to the lack of education. They die due to illness, during childbirth, due to violence, poverty, etc. -- which is probably why the world hasn't yet understood the gravity of having more than 100 million children not in primary school, of which 60 million are girls.
If you really think hard, you will realize that the way to end the cycle of poverty, reduce the number of teenage pregnancies and early marriage and many other ills that befall our girls is through education. An educated girl will marry later, will have fewer and healthier children, will educate her daughters and without a doubt her sons, will be self-sufficient and, most importantly, will have a voice. She will not only dream but also realize her dreams of becoming whoever she wants to be.
I am writing this letter to all of you girls, but especially appealing to those who have had the privilege of going to school. We need to use our educated voices to raise awareness in our families, communities, countries and the world and say we cannot and will not ignore our sisters anymore. They have the same rights as we do, and there can be no discrimination. We can and must hold our governments accountable and ask them to give us the answers and results we deserve.
I am also writing this letter to all the boys -- fathers, brothers and husbands, friends who have supported us. I am grateful that you see us as just as important to the human race as our male counterparts. Your support and belief in us keeps us encouraged to keep powering on. Please keep it coming and please spread the word.
Finally, I write to those we want to affect with our voices positively: You have the right to an education. You have the right to grow up healthy, in safety, and with equal access to opportunity. I, and millions of your supporters across the globe, stand with you in the pursuit of equality. Change is coming; the world is listening.
I know that this movement -- your movement -- will grow in influence and scope. My promise to you: I will continue to use my voice as your voice. Together, we can ensure that girls everywhere can go to school and stay in school.
You hold our future in your hands. I believe in you.
With love and hope,
Actress Freida Pinto is known for her roles in movies such as "Slumdog Millionaire" and her work with Plan International. This open letter to the girls of the world is part of the "Girl Rising" project. CNN Films' "Girl Rising" documents extraordinary girls and the power of education to change the world. Watch it at 9 p.m. ET Sunday June 16 on CNN.


text: CVS Deals and Coupon Matchups 9/16-9/22September 14, 2012 This post may contain a link to an affiliate. See my disclosure policy for more information. Here are the best deals at CVS for the week of 9/16-9/22/12! Don't forget to scan your ExtraCare card at the coupon machine to see if you get additional coupons.This list has expired. See my coupon matchups page for current lists.


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As a system, absolutely not, as for the term itself though, perhaps we should.
In an article in the Telegraph on Thursday 3.04.10, the Chairman of Marks & Spencer, the leading department store in London, made some interesting remarks about capitalism. He spoke mostly about the perception of capitalism and the free market system, in the eyes of people around the world, and the fact that the term itself has begun to become so negative, that they forget the fact that capitalism is the only system which has ever worked, and that every time it was tried, communism led to misery, oppression, and the murder of millions. He even suggested that we find another name for it. Why not ? The progressives found another name for communism, didn't they?
This evening on Glenn Beck, (3.05.10), Glenn spent the entire hour on the subject of how the progressive left has taken over our education system for the express purpose of trying to brainwash our children with an incredible array of anti American propaganda designed to make the younger generation believe that the American way of life, and our free market economy has failed them. As we know of course, it's the progressives themselves and their big government that are responsible for virtually all the misery that America is suffering through right now. Their anti-American propaganda has been evolving since the beginning of the progressive movement, when they first began to demonize the dollar sign itself, as a symbol of evil, greed and the oppression of human rights. Remember the old Monopoly men in their top hats carrying bags with $ on them ? They've been around for longer than the board game.
I first learned about this from Ayn Rand while attending lectures at the Nathaniel Branden Institute in NY in 1964 while still a teenager. Ms Rand used to do all the Q&A's after the lecture, and did some of the lectures herself. She was mesmerizing. Ms Rand spoke about the dollar sign quite frequently. To her it symbolized the best part of America, our freedom to better ourselves, and our most basic freedoms of thought & speech. She said that the dollar sign itself was derived from the initials U.S., and that seems likely in that it's just an S superimposed over a U with the bottom cut off. Having escaped the Soviet Union on her own when she was 15, Ayn Rand was disgusted by the idea that America could be using its own symbol as a sign of depravity, and she proved herself right in 1957, when she published her own view of where America was headed.
The progressives were so successful with their propaganda that the very word "capitalism" itself, in the minds of so many people, has come to symbolize greedy bankers taking huge bonuses paid for with taxpayer money, or evil insurance companies who deny the people access to their right to health care. Glenn's been hammering away at the difference between rights, and good & services for a few days now. But it looks like the progressives are directly responsible for the current perception of the term "capitalism"as well. It first came into popular use when Karl Marx used it in his writings, however it's actual roots go further back than that. Thackeray is the first to publish a work using the term in his novel, The "Newcomes" in the mid 19th century. It was actually used earlier by a Frenchman, A. R. J. Turgot (1727-1781) who used the word "capitaliste" in an essay on the "Formation and Distribution of Wealth". And that brings us to the reason why the progressives don't get it. They don't understand the very nature of wealth itself.
Looking back in history to feudal times, when the kings and the lords, and the dukes owned EVERYTHING, including the peasants who worked their land, the downtrodden ones justifiably thought that anyone with that much power had to be evil, because they kept all the wealth for themselves.
This fear of the concentration of wealth and power into the hands of anyone, was one of the primary things that influenced our finding fathers. Americans back then truly feared the concentration of power in anyone, including businesses and especially in their government.
The progressives, still think of wealth as something that exists in a static quantity in the universe, with the only question being how it should most fairly be divided. They don't understand that wealth is something that's created, primarily because they've never participated in the process. Look at their leaders, President Barack Obama, President Bill Clinton, former Vice President Al Gore, Senator John Kerry, Speaker of the House Nancy Pelosi and Senate Majority Leader Harry Reid and you'll see that not one of them has ever contributed to the economy in a private sector job that was involved in the production of wealth. In a way, the same is true of a big portion of the Hollywood elite. While they've worked hard and made lots of money, making $10MM to $20MM for a movie, or $500M for a concert, gives them a pretty warped view of what it truly means to go out to work to make a living.
I've tried to explain this to several of these people, with the following example since I've spent much of my life as a builder:
"A man takes a piece of raw land, and with his own ingenuity, skill and sweat, he takes the trees and the rocks and the dirt to build himself a home. The difference in value between the raw land, and the land with the home on it, is wealth created by that man…"
Most of them still don't get it though… All they can see is a man who owns a big house, while others live in hovels, so of course they decide, due to their unbelievable arrogance and conceit, that everyone would be better off if THEY were in charge of splitting up the wealth… We heard it in the clip of Van Jones, "Give THEM the wealth! Give THEM the wealth! The key word there being "the" wealth… Like Obama, he only sees that big pile.. because he's probably never put in a full day of honest productive work in his entire life. They're scared of capitalism because they know they're in trouble right now, and if it will help us defeat them, I don't mind abandoning the term "Capitalism" for a while.
They think that they're entitled to be the royalty, and their biggest fear right now, is that the crowd demonstrating outside their windows, may have finally caught on to their game. We're already seeing some of the rats abandoning the ship. I wouldn't be surprised if some of them are scared that this crowd might even have a guillotine.


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An emotional Micheal Flatley shed tears yesterday as he was inducted into the Irish American Hall of Fame in County Wexford as 400 invited guests looked on, including Ireland's tourism minister Leo Varadakar.
The heritage museum and emigrant heritage center is located near New Ross and is the same place where John F. Kennedy's ancestors emigrated to America, reports the Irish Times.
The newly built center is on the quayside beside the replica famine ship 'The Dunbrody.' The center was built at a cost of $4 million.
Flatley stated: "I'm reminded of all the tears that were shed in this spot, how many mothers cried here."
Addressing his mother Eilish, who was also there along with his family, he said: "Mam, I'd be nothing without you; I'm so proud to be your son."
His own son Micheal, now four was also present for the ceremony, as well as his wife Niamh.
The Irish America Hall of Fame was created in conjunction with our sister publication Irish America Magazine. Irish America Magazine editor Patricia Harty was also at the event.
As part of the new museum visitors are given a recreated trip on board the famine ship to America. Minister Varedakar drew the name of a famine immigrant Biddie Keogh who traveled in steerage to the new world.
He drew the "three pounds and 10 shillings" ticket of Biddy Keogh and was sent below-deck to experience how those who traveled in steerage made the journey.
Others inducted into the hall of fame included President Clinton, businessmen Don Keough, Denis Kelleher, and Bill Flynn, famed doctors, humanitarian Dr.Kevin Cahill and Nobel Prize Winner Dr. James Watson, who discovered DNA, Jean Kennedy Smith, writer Mary Higgins Clark, and philanthropist Chuck Feeney
Actors created a pageant showing the hardship of the emigrant experience.
A woman wearing a shawl keened: "What's going to become of us, God only knows."
Sean Reidy, the CEO of the Dunbrody Famine Ship, stated the vessel "illustrates the passion and drive of the Irish to succeed in difficult circumstances".
Minister Varadkar said the center "will play a vital role in keeping Ireland attractive to overseas visitors."
The Irish America Hall of Fame officially opens in Ireland - PHOTOS


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An image has surfaced of what may well be the inside rear shell of the iPad 3. While it may not sound like the most exciting news of the year, if the shell is genuine then it gives some clues as to how the next version of Apple's tablet will compare with the current device.
For starters, according to MacRumors (via RepairLabs), the redesigned shell shows different [A] for the iPad 3's logic board, meaning the board could be [B]. The space this leaves could be used for a larger battery, allowing you more time to swipe and surf before having to go through the recharging rigamarole. The battery on the current iPad allows around 10 hours of use before running flat.
The image also appears to indicate slightly different placement of the camera [C], and therefore its components. Of course, from this small difference it's impossible to say if the iPad's camera capabilities will be radically overhauled, though it could suggest changes are on their way. Whereas the camera on the iPhone has seen steady improvements over its various iterations, the camera on the iPad 2 is still very basic and could do with an upgrade.
While the image doesn't show the casing from the side, its source — "industry insiders" in China — says from what they've seen there's no obvious difference in thickness between the iPad 2 and iPad 3.
Lastly, the LCD display [D] also appears to be different to before. Earlier rumors have suggested that the next-generation iPad could be getting Apple's much-lauded Retina display, which offers more vibrant images with a higher resolution. Again, even if the image is genuine, it doesn't confirm the introduction of a new kind of display, but certainly makes it seem more likely. A couple of weeks ago Bloomberg reported that the iPad 3 would incorporate a high-definition screen "with pixels small enough to make the images look like printed material."
So how about the launch date of the new device? There was talk last month that the iPad 3 could be unveiled in March, which would fit pretty much with the release dates of the first two iterations of Apple's tablet, though true to form, Apple has up to now given no hints as to when it might hit stores.


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Records reveal could unravel 'naked corruption' scandal
HARRISBURG — A Dauphin County judge could unseal court documents this week that might shed light on a failed prosecution of four Philadelphia lawmakers, including whether Attorney General Kathleen Kane killed the case when retrieving it from federal authorities.
Kane's office denies the contention of Philadelphia District Attorney Seth Williams that she took back the case from federal prosecutors in January 2013, soon after taking office. The case has pitted Kane against former Chief Deputy Attorney General Frank Fina, who works for Williams.
Kane has said the case — in which undercover informant Tyron Ali posed as a lobbyist and gave lawmakers cash — was dormant before her dismissal.
The "naked corruption" of lawmakers accepting cash has shocked people, even in a legislature accustomed to seeing colleagues in handcuffs, said J. Wesley Leckrone, a political science professor at Widener University in Chester County.
Since 2007, 11 of 15 legislators charged with crimes have been convicted on charges ranging from fraud to theft of tax money for political campaigns. But taking cash payoffs is another level, Leckrone said.
If President Judge Todd Hoover agrees to unseal documents — as the Tribune-Review requested last week — it's not clear whether the public will see transcripts of cash offerings by Ali, who recorded the conversations for state prosecutors.
Still, the documents may help explain the pitched public battle between Kane and former old-guard prosecutors about whether the case was valid from the outset, who halted it and why.
"It is under seal. I can't even comment on what — if the records were released — what would be in there. That would be a violation of the seal order and the gag order," Kane said on Saturday.
Asked why she supports the Trib's motion: "I always think that transparency is important to the public. That's just always been the way I am."
Asked about Williams' assertion that she took the Ali case just to kill it, Kane said, "That's ridiculous."
Were feds involved?
One issue the records might illuminate: Williams' allegation that Kane took the case back from the feds.
"No one left her with a potentially embarrassing decision to make; all she had to do was let the investigation take its course in the hands of federal authorities," Williams said in a newspaper op-ed piece last month. "But she didn't do that. Instead, she asked for the case back. And then, after going out of her way to reclaim the investigation, she shut it down."
Kane's spokesman J.J. Abbott said Fina "may believe he referred the sting case to federal authorities, (but) the Office of Attorney General determined federal authorities never accepted the case for prosecution."
In a document released last month to explain her actions, Kane denied that Fina had to take the case to the federal government because she had a conflict involving a former campaign employee of hers and a Philadelphia candidate to whom Ali allegedly gave illegal campaign money.
Kane's office did not name her employee or the candidate, and said it could not corroborate the supposed contribution.
FBI Special Agent in Charge Edward J. Hanko, who heads the Philadelphia office, declined to comment through a spokeswoman, as did the U.S. Attorney's Office.
Crimes did occur
Kane said a flawed case meant she could not prosecute the four Democratic lawmakers. Yet the audiotapes suggest crimes occurred, she said.
"I believe we have evidence that certain legislators were taking money, and that's a crime," Kane told reporters a day after The Philadelphia Inquirer revealed the sting.
Those recorded — Reps. Ron Waters, Louise Bishop, Vanessa Brown and Michelle Brownlee — have declined to comment.
The House Ethics Committee is investigating and could censure the lawmakers, leading to a potential vote on expulsion.
State officials — from Republican Gov. Tom Corbett, a former federal and state prosecutor, legislative leaders and rank-and-file lawmakers — say they were taken aback that it's legal for lawmakers to accept cash if there's no quid pro quo and they disclose it. The four lawmakers reported no gifts.
House leaders last week banned cash gifts through a rule change, and both chambers will consider legislation to do so.
"I was kind of shocked," said Rep. George Dunbar, R-Jeannette, co-chairman of a reform caucus, who plans to offer a bill on Monday limiting gifts.
Stephen Miskin, a spokesman for House Republicans, said every lawmaker with whom he spoke was unaware there's no specific law against accepting cash.
It is a crime to accept cash with an understanding to vote a certain way, said former Acting Attorney General Walter Cohen.
Ali posed as a lobbyist seeking to influence votes on bills such as liquor privatization and voter ID.
Reminiscent of Abscam
The case gained attention because it's magnified by the popular movie "American Hustle," about the Abscam sting operation in which the FBI snared members of Congress through a phony sheikh in the late 1970s, Leckrone said.
"I have never heard of anything like this," said former Attorney General Ernie Preate, a Republican convicted of mail fraud in 1995. "Everything that's happened is bizarre."
Hoover gave Kane and Ali's Philadelphia lawyer, Robert Levant, until Monday to respond to the Trib's motion to open the case files. Kane said she would support the Trib's motion. Levant declined to comment.
Cohen said he thinks those involved believe Hoover will open the record.
Only the judge, prosecutors and attorneys know what's in the sealed files, but lawyers and political strategists are speculating about what the case might reveal about Kane's feud with Fina and Williams.
Republican Rep. Mike Vereb, a former police officer from Montgomery County, predicted the documents won't "elevate the confidential informant to sainthood."
From all appearances, Ali was a "scam artist," Cohen said.
Tainted agreement?
Kane ended the sting, saying Ali had no reasonable suspicion to start payoffs in 2010, potentially targeted black lawmakers, and lacked supervision.
She accused Fina of making an extraordinarily lenient deal with Ali, dismissing 2,088 fraud charges the state had against him, for his cooperation. Kane later acknowledged that she formally dismissed the charges against Ali, a former day care center operator accused of ripping off the Department of Education.
Cohen reviewed a copy of the cooperation agreement that the Trib obtained and found it unusual.
Normally, prosecutors keep charges against informants until they testify. With no one charged, Ali did not testify. Still, any cooperation agreement should have been the incoming attorney general's choice, Cohen said. He found it suspicious that Fina and Levant signed the agreement on Nov. 30, after the election but before Kane's inauguration.
Fina would not comment. Williams, who is black, has said he saw no racism apparent in the sting.
Oddly, then-Attorney General Linda Kelly did not sign the agreement, Cohen said, noting that because of that Kane could have let the judge decide whether to affirm the dismissal of charges against Ali.
One could argue her office let a guy off the hook who committed "nearly a half-million dollars in fraud" to snare lawmakers with a combined $20,000, Cohen said.
Brad Bumsted is Trib Total Media's state Capitol reporter. Reach him at 717-787-1405 or email@example.com.


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Scuderia Ferrari inline skating set
Product Code L5613K
€ 60
Sold out
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- Adjustable skate sizes: US sizes 12-1, 1.5-4 / European sizes 29-32, 33-36
- Composition: 70% Polyurethane, 30% Metal


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text:
David Cameron urges European leaders to 'be bolder'
David Cameron has told EU leaders they must be "bolder" if they want to shake off their economic troubles.
The UK prime minister told the World Economic Forum in Davos it was a "perilous time" for Europe's economies and "tinkering won't cut it anymore".
He defended his government's deficit reduction plan, saying it helped the UK "get ahead of the markets".
But UK opposition leader Ed Miliband, said the policy of "collective austerity" was not working.
A host of world leaders and business chiefs are addressing the annual conference in the Swiss ski resort.
On Wednesday, German Chancellor Angela Merkel said a "big rethink" was needed in the eurozone about how to create jobs and raise living standards.
'Political will'
Mr Cameron's speech came the day after official figures showed the UK economy shrank by 0.2% in the final quarter of 2011, with worries about the prospect of a return to recession.
The International Monetary Fund also downgraded its forecasts for global growth earlier this week.
In a message to his European counterparts, Mr Cameron argued his government's efforts to tackle its deficit had "earned credibility and got (the UK) ahead of the markets", and eurozone leaders should now take similarly decisive action.
The eurozone crisis was "weighing down business confidence and investment" across Europe, he said, and EU leaders had to "to show the leadership our people are demanding".
"Tinkering here and there and hoping we'll drift to a solution simply won't cut it any more," he said. "This is time for boldness not caution."
Europe's problems - notably the debt crisis in Greece and the question marks over European banks - were clear, he said, and "with bold action and real political will we can fix them".
'Ambitious deals'
He warned that competitiveness remained Europe's "Achilles heel", with the single market incomplete and "unnecessary" measures from Brussels burdening businesses and destroying jobs.
"Here's the checklist - all proposed EU measures tested for their impact on growth; a target to reduce the overall burden of EU regulation; a new proportionality test to prevent needless barriers to trade in services and slash the number of regulated professions in Europe.
"The truth is, we can't afford to wait any longer."
In the absence of a conclusion to the Doha free trade talks, Mr Cameron also proposed that a "coalition of the willing" could "forge ahead with more ambitious deals of their own" such as agreements with India, Canada and Singapore.
He also called for the EU to "look at options for agreement" with the US in a deal that "could have a bigger impact than all of the other agreements put together".
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The prime minister also suggested it would be "simply madness" for Europe to unilaterally introduce a tax on financial transactions - as it would see thousands of jobs being lost to other parts of the world.
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Prior to his speech, Mr Cameron hosted a meeting of UK business leaders also attended by Chancellor George Osborne - who will address the World Economic Forum on Friday.
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Labour's Ed Miliband, who is also in Davos, said the prime minister should be focusing on "taking action at home to get the UK economy moving".
"But he is not doing that. He is standing by because he is stuck with the policy of collective austerity all round the world. It is not working.
"He needs to wake up and realise that, rather than being so complacent about what is happening in Britain."


text:
Used Car - 2008 Chevrolet Cobalt LT1 Sedan in Mcallen, Tx
Please Call For Price
About This 2008 Chevrolet Cobalt LT1 Sedan
Vehicle Location:
Mcallen, Tx
LT1 Sedan
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Combined MPG: 30 - Efficient 30+ MPG
Estimated Monthly Fuel Cost: $74.17*
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Actual costs may vary.
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2008 Chevrolet Cobalt ReviewThis car review is specific to this model, not the actual vehicle for sale.
Highly competent compact coupes and sedans.
If you're searching for inexpensive, high-value transportation with a new-car warranty, the Chevrolet Cobalt is worth a look.
The Chevy Cobalt is quiet and refined for a small car. Built on a strong, stiff platform, it delivers crisp handling and a smooth ride. And with its expressive styling and all-around competence, the Cobalt competes effectively against the Honda Civic, Toyota Corolla, and Ford Focus. That's an impressive achievement, considering how long those three have dominated the compact car market.
For 2008, the Cobalt offers more value and more safety, than ever. XM Satellite Radio is now standard, along with AM/FM/CD stereo with an auxiliary input jack. Standard safety features now include head-curtain airbags and a tire-pressure monitor. Anti-lock brakes and stability control are standard on some models, and available on others.
The Chevrolet Cobalt offers premium features, such as heated leather seats, a sunroof, and a seven-speaker Pioneer sound system. A remote vehicle starter is available on models with an automatic transmission.
The 2008 Chevrolet Cobalt is available in two body styles: a two-door coupe and a four-door sedan.
The 2008 Cobalt comes in LS, LT, and Sport trim levels. Gone are the premium LTZ and SS Supercharged models, at least for now.
The 2008 Chevrolet Cobalt LS and LT models are powered by a 148-horsepower 2.2-liter four-cylinder engine and ride on the softer FE1 suspension, which includes a 19mm anti-roll bar in front and a16mm bar in the rear.
The Cobalt Sport gets a 171-hp 2.4-liter four-cylinder and benefits from the firmer FE3 suspension, with 22-mm front and rear stabilizer bars, four-wheel-disc brakes, and 17-inch wheels and performance tires.
All models come standard with a five-speed manual transmission and offer a four-speed automatic as an option.
The Chevrolet Cobalt LS sedan and coupe ($13,675) come standard with air conditioning, cloth upholstery, height-adjustable driver's seat, 60/40 split fold-down rear seat, automatic headlights, electric rear defogger, tilt steering column, PASS-Key III Plus theft deterrence, driver information center, two 12-volt power outlets, and a four-speaker AM/FM/CD/MP3 stereo with an auxiliary input jack. New for 2008 is standard XM Satellite Radio. These are still fairly basic models, though, with wind-up windows and manually operated mirrors. Tires are 195/60 on 15-inch steel wheels. And options are limited.
The LT ($14,375) sedan and coupe get power windows and door locks, plus upgraded upholstery, adjustable lumbar support for the driver, and some other amenities. LT's with the neutral interior color now feature woodgrain trim. Options expand to include cruise control ($275), sunroof ($750), six-disc CD changer ($295), seven-speaker Pioneer audio ($295), remote vehicle starter ($190, and requires automatic transmission), heated leather seats ($695), and a leather-wrapped steering wheel ($195).
An option package for LT called 2LT ($1295) bundles ABS; StabiliTrak; color-keyed bodyside moldings; 205/55R16 tires on more stylish, plastic-faced wheels; cruise control; OnStar; and a trunk cargo net.
Replacing last year's Sport Package is the new Performance Appearance Package ($795), which includes a rear spoiler, 16-inch aluminum wheels, stainless steel exhaust with chrome tips, fog lamps, white-face gauges, and a leather-wrapped steering wheel and shifter knob. A new Chrome Exterior Package is available on LT sedans and includes a chrome grille, bodyside moldings and door handles.
Cobalt Sport ($18,875) replaces last year's Cobalt SS. The Sport comes in coupe and sedan body styles. In addition to the bigger engine, beefed-up chassis, ABS brakes and StabiliTrak, Sport makes the seven-speaker stereo standard, along with a leather-wrapped shift knob and leather-wrapped steering wheel with audio and cruise controls. Otherwise, standard equipment and options are similar to the LT.
Safety features include dual-stage front air bags, front seatbelt pre-tensioners, rear center shoulder belts, and the LATCH child seat retention system. Head-curtain side airbags are now standard on all models, as is a tire pressure monitor. Sport and 2LT come with StabiliTrak electronic stability control. Anti-lock brakes (ABS) are also standard on Sport and 2LT, optional ($400) on 1LT and LS; the system includes traction control on Cobalts with automatic transmission. OnStar is standard on 2LT and Sport, and optional ($295) on 1LT. It's a good safety feature because operators will direct emergency crews to your exact location should your airbag go off and you fail to respond. For 2008 it includes the General Motors Advanced Automatic Crash Notification (AACN) system, making crash data available to participating 911 centers to help them dispatch the appropriate live-saving personnel and equipment.
The Chevy Cobalt is built on GM's Delta platform, which it shares with the domestic Saturn Astra and European-market Opel Astra. But with its single-bar grille and bowtie emblem, Cobalt looks like a proper Chevrolet small car right down to its shoes and socks.
Body panel fits are extremely tight. So tight, in fact, that there are no rubber trim gaskets around Cobalt's compound complex headlamps.
The fastback coupe bears a resemblance to the Cavalier it replaced in 2005, right down to its high, rounded tail and triangular rear quarter windows; though in fact Cobalt shares little with its predecessor but its looks.
The Cobalt sedan looks less like its curvier Cavalier ancestor, and more like a contemporary small sedan, with a tall roofline and short, chunky tail.
The coupe weighs about 50 pounds less than the sedan, although it's doubtful anyone but a professional race driver would feel the difference on the road. Same for the sedan's slightly better front-to-rear balance: 59/41 vs. 60/40 for the coupe.
Cobalt is longer, wider and lower than most of its direct competitors and its interior dimensions and trunk capacity are comparable for the class.
The design theme inside the Cobalt is simple and straightforward. Materials are decent and the fit and finish is good. Overall, it's comparable for the class. There's just enough chrome trim here and there on knobs and instruments to brighten things up without a lot of glare from the shiny parts. Instruments are large, well placed, and easy to read, with nice graphic treatment throughout.
Cobalt uses different seats in the different trim levels, each with detail changes in foam, padding and trim. We found plenty of fore/aft and rake adjustment for a 6-foot, 4-inch driver, plus seat height adjustment with a ratcheting handle. The LT seats were very comfortable and grabbed us in the fast corners exactly where we needed to be grabbed and held. Even better were the optional leather-trimmed seats, which come with electric heat.
The available Pioneer seven-speaker sound system with the Delphi AM/FM/CD delivers good sound and includes a huge subwoofer mounted on the left side trunk wall. For 2008, all Cobalts now come with XM Satellite Radio.
The heating, ventilation and defroster system worked quickly and intuitively.
The LS comes with manually operated windows. We don't mind this, but it takes a lot of cranking (about four and half times around) to wind the windows up. The urethane steering wheel that comes on LS and LT models feels cheap. The leather-wrapped wheel that's standard on Sport and optional on LT is much nicer.
Rear-seat passengers pay a price for the coupe's sporty looks. Headroom, legroom, and hip room are reduced by 2 inches, 1.5 inches, and 3.5 inches, respectively; enough to make the difference between a comfortable place for adults and one best left to pre-adolescents. Up front, the coupe actually offers more head and legroom than the sedan, but only by fractions of an inch.
The trunk in the sedan is wide and deep with a low lift-over height, and almost 14 cubic feet of capacity, more than competitive in the class, though the opening to the trunk seems relatively small. Cobalt does not use space-eating gooseneck hinges on its decklid, opting instead for simple outside corner hinges and two hydraulic assist struts. The coupe has an even smaller trunk opening, making it difficult to stow a thick suitcase. A 60/40-split, fold-down rear seat with a trunk pass-through feature adds utility to both sedan and coupe.
Driving Impression
The Chevrolet Cobalt is quite pleasant to drive, especially the Sport model. It's quiet for a car that retails for less than $20,000. Chevrolet put considerable effort into special door seals, sandwich steel panels, thick carpets and pads, noise blockers and noise absorbers throughout the front, middle and rear of the car. As a result, normal front-seat conversation is possible at speeds above 90 mph.
The 2.2-liter engine, which is rated at 148 horsepower is smooth, but does not feel powerful until it's revving high. The four-speed automatic doesn't help, with kickdown that reminded us of a rental car.
We miss the Supercharged SS. We liked the way it sounded when it revved as well as its responsive performance.
For now, however, if you want driving excitement in a Cobalt, the Sport model will have to do. The 171 developed by its 2.4-liter engine is 16 percent more than the base engine produces. With 167 pound-feet of torque at 4500 rpm, the Sport delivers only about 10 percent more torque than the base LS/LT. But then the 2.4 has variable valve timing, which the 2.2 does not, so the bigger engine should provide more flexibility across the whole rpm spectrum. That should make it easier to drive around town.
The downside of the Sport's 2.4-liter engine is that its slightly higher compression ratio (10.4:1, vs. 10.0) pushes it over the line to where it needs Premium fuel to perform at its best. It will run on Regular gas, just not as fast. Fuel economy for the big engine with a manual transmission suffers slightly.
Fuel economy with the manual transmission is EPA rated at 24/33 mpg City/Highway for the 2.2-liter engine, and 22/32 mpg for the 2.4-liter. But with an automatic, the 2.4-liter scores the same 22/31 mpg as the 2.2-liter.
We found the Sport's four-wheel-disc brakes with ABS to be powerful and progressive, with a good balance between pedal travel and braking action. The brakes seemed a little mushy on the LT and LS, which come with drums in the rear.
The Chevrolet Cobalt will satisfy the needs of drivers looking for economy of price, economy of operation, and a nice, quiet ride. We think it's a handsome, well-equipped car. It carries four people comfortably, five only in a pinch, on a minimal outlay for fuel and monthly payments. The standard engine could offer more responsive low-end power. The Sport model is more fun to drive.
NewCarTestDrive.com correspondent Jim McCraw reported from Dearborn, Michigan, with Mitch McCullough reporting from Los Angeles and John F. Katz from Harrisburg, Pennsylvania.
Model Lineup
Chevrolet Cobalt LS ($13,675); LT ($14,375); Sport ($18,875).
Assembled In
Lordstown, Ohio.
Options As Tested
automatic transmission ($925); 2LT package ($1295) includes ABS, body-color side moldings, 205/55R16 tires, fascia spoke wheels, cruise control, OnStar, trunk cargo net; heated leather front bucket seats ($695); rear spoiler ($275).
Model Tested
Chevrolet Cobalt LT sedan ($14,375).The Chevrolet Cobalt is available as either a two-door coupe with four trims (LS, LT, Sport and SS Turbocharged) or a four-door sedan with three trims (LS, LT and Sport). The LS and the LT trims come standard with a 148-hp 2.2-liter engine mated to a five-speed manual transmission. The Sport comes with a 171-hp 2.4-liter engine and a five-speed manual transmission. The SS comes with a 260-hp 2.0-liter turbocharged engine mated to a five-speed manual transmission. A four-speed automatic is optional on all trims except the SS. The LS comes with 15-inch steel wheels, front airbags with side curtain airbags, and satellite radio as standard equipment. The LT adds front and rear carpeted floor mats, premium cloth seat trim and power mirrors, windows and door locks with remote keyless entry. The Sport has the same content as the LT but further adds, 17-inch aluminum wheels, anti-lock brakes, a rear spoiler, cruise control and an upgraded radio. The SS further adds 18-inch forged alloy wheels with performance tires. For 2008 the Chevrolet Cobalt has added side curtain airbags and an XM satellite radio as standard equipment on all trims.
700 E Business 83
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Recent studies have shown that over 70 per cent of all email communications on the internet contain some form of spam or malware. Having a secure and safe email environment is a must. Using Datacom's Secure Email Gateway can reduce spam instances by up to 95 percent, as well as catch 99.9 percent of all malware and viruses that come into your organisation. Datacom's Secure Email Gateway also uses deep content scanning technology to control email traffic flow, ensuring information can only arrive at its intended destination.
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Crews Clear French Train Crash Wreckage
Emergency crews brought in cranes to begin clearing the wreckage of a train that crashed about 15 miles south of Paris. Photo: Associated Press.
This transcript has been automatically generated and may not be 100% accurate.
I ... I ... I ... the the ay ay ay ay ay ay ay ay ... I ...


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Customer Reviews
All reviews are from people who have redeemed deals with this merchant.
What You'll Get
Choose from Three Options
- $25 for one 14-ounce engraved pure copper moscow mule mug ($38.95 value)
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Promotional value expires 90 days after purchase. Amount paid never expires. Limit 2 per person, may buy 3 additional as gifts. Limit 1 per order. Valid only for option purchased. Shipping is $7.95 for 1 mug, $9.95 for 2, $12.95 for 4. Most orders ship within 2 weeks of redemption date. Merchant is solely responsible to purchasers for the care and quality of the advertised goods and services.
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There's just something special about drinking out of a copper mug. It might be because of the unique visuals. It might be because the material makes for the chilliest of chill drinks. It might be because they're the only vessel conductive enough to refresh a robot with an electric cocktail. What's for sure is that they are the only right way to drink the classic moscow mule, as well as other drinks such as the whiskey ginger and the gin and tonic. Alchemade specializes in these unique metallic mugs, and sell them in a wide range of styles including barrel-shaped, etched with patterns, and personalized with custom engravings.


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Editor's Picks: The Top Mansions of October
Pack your favorite loin cloth! The best homes of October include a jungle-themed home in L.A. as well as Wayne Newton's estate. Plus, a peek inside the 56,000 sq. ft. compound of NBA great Michael Jordan, with an indoor basketball court of course.
This transcript has been automatically generated and may not be 100% accurate.
... I ... ay ay ay ay ay ... yours is yours ... so ... what am I to sneak peek ... at properties we know you cannot possibly afford ... Activision work off because the first of our countdown is ... being told in one sentence so he basically turns the entire lower level the summers are seeing there he and his jungle theme in science they say you have leopard print flooring you have these that stuffed animals in the last guy to hang on that it's ... because people ... are sticking to the West Coast a second home on our list are heading down to the state is the home that Mr. Bay gets built we were taken a look at this ... on Friday when it was a stay at a big word uses the vehicle wrought for all his cars is pretty of priests the attacker and more than twenty cars and now ... therefore the Hamptons Chairman Ephraim ... Island is still Twitter is rich and famous go to get away ... so smart but Brent is not necessarily equate to small price tag though I understand some of the up my thanks for swear provider ... of our brains Yes ... I ... next the voter list was once home to the best ever step foot in the ... sub Michael Jordan's from his bouncing to auction ... and if you think about it ... the area ... I'm a home ... or have a private basketball ... so what would it would be much until the victim ... of a switch ... from one injury to another West up on our countdown was once a Las Vegas ... the King of pop ... Michael Jackson ... it consists of two big houses there's a main house ... and then there's the guest cottage and ... Michael actually lived in the guest cottage with his children and they would travel back and forth between the main house and a guesthouse ... through a very elaborate underground tunnel we did this to avoid the


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I'm using madsonic at work and at home with same user. Often playlists from one place mixes with another at 'Add all' or at 'Random'/'Repeat'. 'Play all' works the way you expect.
It would be nice to assign playlists to sessions (separate playlists for different PC and even browsers at the same PC) and not users.
Linux stand-alone 6.1.8550 vs Chrome.


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Mental Health in the Headlines: Week of May 19, 2014
Week of May 19, 2014
Mental Health in the Headlines is a weekly newsletter providing the latest developments at Mental Health America and summaries of news, views and research in the mental health field. Coverage of news items in this publication does not represent Mental Health America's support for or opposition to the stories summarized or the views they express.
[NOTE: Mental Health in the Headlines will not publish the weeks of May 26 and June 2.]
Mental Health America 2014 Annual Conference, September 10-12, Atlanta, Georgia—Parity and the Affordable Care Act: Bridging Gaps to Advance Mental Health. Don't miss this unique opportunity to discuss what we have learned in the process of implementing the Affordable Care and Mental Health Parity and Addiction Equity Acts, and to collaborate to identify next steps and opportunities for action.
Statement of Mental Health America on "Strengthening Mental Health in Our Communities Act of 2014."
May is Mental Health Month—Mind Your Health.
May 18-24 is National Prevention Week.
A Look at the Gaps in Mental Health Care—An Interview with Dr. David Shern of Mental Health America.
The MHA Career Center matches the best employers with the best talent in the mental health field. Find your employment match at http://www.mentalhealthamerica.net/go/mhacareercenter.
Bullying Linked to Increased Inflammation: A new study finds that bullying results in an increase in low-grade inflammation throughout the body. Kids who are bullied tend to be sick more often than their peers and may have stomach aches, sleep problems and headaches and lose their appetites, researchers write in the journal PNAS. In the new study, they found that bullied kids had higher inflammation levels as young adults than their uninvolved classmates. For the study, researchers followed 1,420 kids from aged nine to 21, interviewing the kids and their mothers along the way about bullying involvement and taking blood samples from the kids every year or two. They measured the level of C-reactive protein, a marker often used to gauge body-wide inflammation levels, in the blood samples. C-reactive protein levels went up for all kids as they got older, but kids who had been repeatedly bullied saw more of an increase in inflammation than a group that was not involved at all in bullying. The more often kids reported being bullied, the more the inflammation marker increased over time. The study also found that kids who were bullies but were never bullied themselves had less of an increase in inflammation over time than the group of kids not involved in bullying in any way. (Reuters, 5/12/14)
Suicide Rate Rose as Foreclosures Increased—Study: A new study finds a correlation between rates of foreclosures and suicides. For the study, the researchers analyzed foreclosure and suicide rates from 2005 to 2010. During those five years, the U.S. suicide rate increased nearly 13 percent, while annual home foreclosures hit a record 2.9 million in 2010. Recently, a related study published in the journal Circulation had reported that living near a foreclosed property increases high blood pressure risk. Published in the American Journal of Public Health, the study found the effects of foreclosures on suicides were strongest among adults 46 to 64 years old, who also experienced the highest increase in suicide rates during the recessionary period. (PsychCentral.com, 5/18/14)
Large Number of Children, Aged 2 and 3, Receiving ADHD Medication—CDC: More than 10,000 American children 2 or 3 years old are receiving medication for attention-deficit hyperactivity disorder (ADHD) outside established pediatric guidelines, according to data presented by the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention. The report, which found that children covered by Medicaid are particularly prone to be put on medication, is among the first efforts to gauge the diagnosis of ADHD in children below age 4. Doctors at the Georgia Mental Health Forum at the Carter Center in Atlanta, where the data was presented, strongly criticized the use of medication in so many children that young. Because off-label use of methylphenidate in preschool children had produced some encouraging results, the most recent American Academy of Pediatrics guidelines authorized it in 4- and 5-year-olds — but only after formal training for parents and teachers to improve the child's environment were unsuccessful. Children below age 4 are not covered in those guidelines because hyperactivity and impulsivity are developmentally appropriate for toddlers, several experts said, and more time is needed to see if a disorder is truly present. (The New York Times, 5/16/14)
The New York Times looks at "Stories as a Window Into Schizophrenia."
USA Today begins a series on the mental health system.
The Texas Tribune reports on the revelation a lieutenant governor candidate had received treatment for depression in the 1980s.
People with Mental Health Conditions More Likely to Use E-Cigarettes: People with mental health conditions were twice as likely to use electronic cigarettes, according to a new study. They were also three times more likely to be current users of e-cigarettes than people without mental health conditions. About 15 percent of people with mental health conditions had tried e-cigarettes and about 3 percent were currently using them, compared with 6.6 percent and about 1 percent, respectively, among those without mental health conditions. More than 10,000 Americans were surveyed by the study authors, who found that nearly 28 percent of current smokers said they had mental health conditions, compared with about 13 percent of nonsmokers. More than 60 percent of smokers with mental health disorders said they were likely or very likely to try e-cigarettes in the future, compared with about 45 percent of smokers without mental health conditions, according to the findings published online in the journal Tobacco Control. (HealthDay News, 5/13/14)
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Has anyone ever made some rather extreme thoughts about you losing weight?
I have.
Apparently, my housemates (who are trying to lose weight too) do not seem to happy about me losing weight because I eat less. It seems to me that they now see me as anorexic because of what I eat and the fact that I say no to unhealthy foods :c They even think I don't eat when I DO eat! I only make healthy changes to my eating, that's all.
As I know I needed to lose quite a bit, I decreased my carb portion a little and upped my vege intake. One of my housemates said that if you want to lose weight, don't snack. So I did, although sometimes I cheat a little... I'm also just like my dad, we prefer vegetables to meat. My family also leans more to vegetarianism than being omnivores. I do not have time to exercise because of my schedule, so I walk whenever I could but often end up playing tag with the train to uni.. Also, thanks to bento-ing, I'm accustomed to stop eating once I'm full. I tried to eat a little more yesterday (because of my housemates) and I felt very, very sick.
I have not lost as much as I should be able to when I really go on diet - i.e. skip meals and boot-camp exercise the weights off. If I were to do that, I'd already lost the amount I should lose by now..
Many people who are close to me have said I look as if I've lost a lot (but my best friends did not though). I'd like to take that as encouragements but sometimes, the comments sometimes go a little too far.
My parents are aware of this but they continue to support me in my journey because the reason I put on those extra 10-15kgs last year was due to a very bad "stress". Losing those extra weights could be one of the way to help me not recall that "stress" ever again, so I really wish I could do this.
These thoughts really bother me :'c
So long as you are eating really sensibly (no less than 1200 kcal a day) and you are no less than the theoretical healthy weight for your height and age, don't take any notice of those people. That sort of behaviour is what drug addicts tend to do when their mates try to give up drugs, or what some smokers do if a friend tries to give up. They're NOT friends, and they don't have your best interests at heart.
On the other hand, be quite honest with yourself - ARE you eating sensibly? We can't see how big you are or how much you are really eating, and sometimes it is only the people who live with you who are in a position to notice if you are developing unhealthy eating habits. I work with an anorexic woman who eats huge amounts of green vegetables - they have virtually no calories and lots of fibre, and as a person's total diet are VERY unhealthy.
It is important for you to have the confidence to be able to ignore unproductive criticism, but you must also be able to tell the difference between that and sincere concern for your wellbeing from people who care about you.
My blog is Food and Shoes
I agree whole heartedly with Bronwyn on this.
The most important thing here is that you are being honest with yourself.
But on the bullying front, this is a situation I understand very well. As a child (and right up into my early twenties) I was extremely thin. Thin enough, and a late enough developer, to match the image of an anorexic. In the 80s anorexia was just coming into the public consciousness and a particular teacher in my school (the vice principal, a nun at a boarding establishment) decided I had this condition.
Nothing could have been further from the truth, I felt starved at school and would eat the leftovers from other girls plates. I also HATED being so thin and craved a voluptuous figure, every penny of my pocket money went on high calorie snacks.
Unfortunately, once others have decided that you have an eating disorder that is what they see. This nun reported to my parents that my house matron had informed her that I didn't eat enough at meal times and that other girls had expressed concern to her that I was making myself sick in the toilets. Why she did this still baffles me, the house matron knew I was always in the queue for second helpings and denied ever saying this to her and I may never know if the reports from fellow pupils were real or not.
But you can imagine the situation, were my parents to believe a nun in a position of authority or an 'anorexic girl', a condition that almost invariably involves lies and deceit from the sufferers?
Basically, the worst kind of bullying sometimes does come from people who genuinely do have your best interests at heart. Unfortunately, a wrong conclusion can lead them to perceive everything you do in a negative way and they themselves add fuel to their own suspicions. Once someone decides you have an eating disorder it really can be very hard to prove otherwise.
Please accept my sympathies, mitarashi dango, be honest and take good care of yourself. It could well be that your flat mates do care about you, but their own food prejudices and assumptions are causing them to misinterpret your own habits. Alas, I don't know how you can deal with this other than ignore their comments accepting that they are well meaning but misguided. I don't envy your position, I'm just happy that you are old enough to understand it.
MitarashiDango, it sounds to me like you are losing weight in a healthy way. If you are confident that you are doing things right, then you don't have to worry. Other peoples' opinions are just that, their opinions. If your housemates are trying to lose weight too and not succeeding, they might even be jealous about your success and trying to sabotage you - you never know!
If your parents and family are understanding of your situation, that's the most important thing. You may want to consult a nutritionist or other health professional at some point to check that you are losing weight in the right way. Keeping a food diary to see how much you are really eating can help also.
The Big Onigiri.
- Wherever you go, there you are. -
It sounds like you are doing all the right things, MitarashiDango, and I support and admire anyone who is trying to change their life for the better. It may be hard, but try and focus on yourself and what you know to be true, rather than others' opinions. When people have nothing better to do, (or like Maki says, if they are not doing so well at dieting!) they seem to 'pick holes' in what others are doing and it's not fair.
It sounds like you've really been making an effort, and your parents, who understand and know you possibly better than anyone and understand the reasons why you gained the weight, are obviously a source of support. If you know in your heart that you are doing the best you can, try and focus on the positive enjoyable aspects like trying out new recipes, and remember all the positive things you can about your weight loss so far. I think it's great you are being sensible about weight loss and not crash dieting or skipping meals. Keep at it, and try not to be discouraged; what you're doing is worthy of praise and support.
Thank you for your support, everyone!! They really made my day!
As far as I know, weightloss of about 1-2lbs per week is considered as healthy. This was said as fat loss as 1lb of fat = 3500cal. So I decrease my daily cal needs by about 500. Within almost 8 weeks (of uni and bento-ing), I've lost almost 4kgs. I never skip meals unless I really forgot (which is rare). I do not have time to exercise, so best I could do is to make healthy swaps to what I am eating and try to do some "incidental" exercises whenever I could. As usual, I play tag with the train that takes me to uni for my classes (I'm always late). In addition, I develop good sleeping habits by going to bed by 12 and waking up at 7 (I used to be able to pull several nightovers in a row, but that's no good).
Being healthier makes me happy and the amount of weight lost becomes a treat. However, shoving me into the group of peoples who are very obsessive about their weight and would go to extremes to lose them saddens me.
Today, at lunch, my friends and I saw this extremely skinny girl who looks very anorexic (I think the circumference of her thighs are smaller than a 600ml coke bottle). She was hungrily grazing a small pear and heating up her cup of coffee in the microwave (which could have cold because she's had it since morning)... We ended up talking about her right after she left till we went for class, but anyway, I told my housemates about this after my dinner and their replies made me a little angry. They said that they won't care and it could have been because of genes; it's better to be fatter and went on mentioning what they've had during the day.. Well, I told myself, "what have you been thinking about me losing weight?"
You guy are right, I have made good progresses to myself. I will keep this up and use their words as motivator.
It sounds as though you have been doing exactly the right things with your weight loss. Keep up the good work.
Today, at lunch, my friends and I saw this extremely skinny girl who looks very anorexic (I think the circumference of her thighs are smaller than a 600ml coke bottle). She was hungrily grazing a small pear and heating up her cup of coffee in the microwave (which could have cold because she's had it since morning)... We ended up talking about her right after she left till we went for class
Aren't you doing the very same thing with this girl, who's eating habits you know nothing about, as what you have described the girls who live with you are doing to you?
I was very sad to read this part of your post, I thought this thread was about how wrong it was to be making these kind of assumptions.
I knew I was and I'm very sorry, and my friends were there too. The girl was such in a sorry state that one could immediately tell that she has not been eating properly. We cannot help it, she was just skin and bones. Besides, they were talking about my so-called diet lunch before they saw this girl.
Once again, I am very sorry to everyone but there are times when I really cannot help what I see. I hope that girl was just having some financial problems or studies-related stress..
I think I should mind less about others sometimes.. ^^;
Well done on loseing weight!
i found this wih my work mates. according to my bmi, i'm normal, but when bloated i do go over into overweight, so i thought "hey, few pounds can't hurt right?" i noticed that although my friends were being nice to my face, the amount of sweets hidden under the till went up, and i was consatntly hearing "where are you going for lunch...oh wait, you're on a diet"
same with smoking, i trying to give up, but i'm always being offered fags.
best advice i ever heard was from a magazine, it was an article called how toxic are your friends, if i can find it i'll scan it and upload it. basically, you don't tell them your dieting, or going to he gym or whatever because they will see it as a threat to your existing relationship. I was big in school and lost alot of weigh and my circle of friends changed. thats because i was the fat friend. when i was no longer that the dynamic shifted and we grew out of each other.
ahh the status quo, ain't it great!
Sometimes I think so too. That makes you be able to deduce who really cares for you and who are actually jealous of you. Nevertheless, real friends are those who care for your happiness :)
With the course of torturous assignments (the 1st wave had just ended, there will be another next week), I have been on a roller coaster too with late night grazing and healthy eating. When I eat more (a lot more), I find that they're a little nicer to me. Especially when they know that I've been eating a lot at night and polising off a box of shapes (those flavored crackers from arnott's) and a sleeve of peanut butter chocolate oreos.. ^^;
It's true. However, they could just be jealous of your effort and determination?
It's understandable to feel frustrated when others around you and losing weight easily and you just can't. For example...me. I've been running, playing tennis, eating healthy and STILL NOT LOSING ANYTHING. Which is frustrating. :( Any ideas why?
Hi anon. If you have been exercising a lot, it could be that you are increasing your muscle mass, which is denser than fat. So you could actually be losing fat and inches/cm, but it's just not showing on the scale. That's why it's important to use a measuring tape to measure yourself as well as to weigh yourself to track your progress. Also, you may want to try noting down what you are eating; it could be that you are still taking in more calories than you need to lose weight, even if you are eating healthy. Good luck!
As Maki's said, you could have just lost your fat for muscle, which is not a bad thing at all because muscles help to increase your metabolism.
Perhaps, you could try watching your salk intake because salt retains water. You might have been retaining some water weight when you have already lost some.
MitarashiDango don't be to strict with yourself and be patient. 2 years ago I also tried to lose weight and at first I wasn't successful and almost gave up when suddlenly the pounds started flying off me :-)
However, just eating healthy alone won't do. What about your exercising habits? Do you practice any sports. I have read articles in lots of healthy weight loss blogs and in all of them it says that long term weight loss isn't possible if you don't do physical exercises.
I started swimming and this really helped me to lose weight. I am sure you will also find a sport you enjoy.
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