text:
Jennifer Carroll's surprise resignation last week as lieutenant governor was not the first time she had faced questions about her ties to Allied Veterans of the World, an Internet sweepstakes cafe operator now at the center of a $300 million fraud investigation.
As a member of the state House in 2010, Carroll filed a bill to legalize Internet sweepstakes cafes while she simultaneously consulted for Allied Veterans.
Back then, Carroll defended her relationship with Allied Veterans and the work it did for veterans groups.
"I do not know of any other company or organization in town or statewide that [has] provided this level of financial support to our veteran organizations," Carroll wrote in comments she posted on jacksonville.com, the Florida Times-Union's website.
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Now, Carroll says she was duped.
"She was very shocked to learn — like many other public officials — of the allegations," said Rick Oppenheim, who Carroll recently hired to handle public relations. "Ms. Carroll has spent almost a lifetime helping veterans and it was very disheartening for her to find out that this organization used veterans in this way."
Carroll, 53, resigned last week after investigators questioned her about Allied Veterans as part of a nationwide racketeering and fraud investigation. So far, close to 60 people have been arrested as part of the case.
Carroll has not been charged with a crime. Her friends say she was too trusting of an organization that convinced her its mission was to help veterans.
She and her husband Nolan are former service members. They live outside Jacksonville in Clay County, a place where growth is spurred by the nearby Jacksonville Naval Air Station.
Carroll's commitment to military causes seemed to be a good fit with Allied Veterans, which highlighted its philanthropic endeavors in the community, said Leslie Dougher, chairwoman of the Republican Party of Clay County.
"This was never ever about her personally," Dougher said. "It was always about benefiting an organization and what they represented to help people."
Carroll was elected to the state House in spring 2003. Four years later, Allied Veterans set up in nearby St. Augustine and began operating cafes in Duval, Clay and St. Johns counties.
The cafes operated in a gray area of the law, taking advantage of loopholes that allowed sweepstakes games and prizes — like the McDonald's Monopoly game. But that drew the ire of Jacksonville Greyhound Racing, the owner of a racing track and poker room. As Allied Veterans fought lawsuits and accusations that they were operating illegal gambling operations, its leaders decided on a new approach.
Don't put us out of business, regulate us, they told the Jacksonville City Council and commissioners in Clay and St. Johns starting in 2009. And to further the cause, Allied Veterans hired lobbyists and began reaching out to any elected officials who would listen.
Enter Carroll.
A former aide introduced Carroll to Allied Veterans that year, Oppenheim said. The aide thought Carroll's public relations firm, 3 N. and J.C. Corp., would be a good fit for the organization, which sold itself as a military-focused nonprofit.
Carroll's company received a one-year contract worth $6,000 a month plus travel expenses, she said. Allied Veterans hired the firm to help establish relationships with local communities and veterans organization. Allied Veterans also wanted to strengthen laws to shut down "bad apples," Oppenheim said.
"She had no idea that [Allied Veterans of the World] might actually be one of those 'bad apples,' " he said. "From her perspective, they were operating within the law, asking for more regulations and giving away a lot of money to veterans' organizations."
Former Jacksonville City Council member Suzanne Jenkins was shocked when Allied Veterans wanted to hire her as a lobbyist. Years prior, she had tried to shut them down.
Now they wanted her help. Kelly Mathis, the organization's attorney, showed her documents he said proved Internet cafes were legal. Jenkins agreed to help lobby the City Council. She remembers Carroll being part of Allied Veterans' inner circle.
"I was in meetings; she was in some of them. And those that she [wasn't in], she was referred to," Jenkins said. "She was a crucial part."
Jenkins said Carroll came across as one of Allied Veterans' strongest advocates at the local and state level. "I would say she was their Tallahassee link."
That dual involvement — working for Allied Veterans at the same time she served in the Legislature — rubbed Sen. John Thrasher, R-St. Augustine, the wrong way. He had returned to the Legislature in 2009 after his own stint in the lobbying corps.
Thrasher said he warned Carroll to avoid Allied Veterans.
"Just the fact that she was a sitting member of the House of Representatives and had a relationship with that group," he said. "I don't think we even began to know back then, 2009, what the extent of that group was about. But it just concerned me."
Thrasher said Carroll is a "dear friend." But something about Allied Veterans turned him off, and he told her as much.
"The fact that it was Internet gambling, and it was something that was in a horribly gray area and I didn't think it was, frankly, something that she ought to have been involved in back then," he said.


text:
|Replacement for Data.BitSet extended to handle enumerations where fromEnum can return negative values, support efficient intersection and union and allow complementing of the set with respect to the bounds of the enumeration
|module Data.Monoid.Reducer
|module Data.Ring.Semi
|O(1) The empty set. Permits O(1) null and size.
|O(1) Construct a BitSet with a single element. Permits O(1) null and size
|O(d) A BitSet containing every member of the enumeration of a.
|O(d). May force size to take O(d) if ranges overlap, preserves order of null
|O(d). May force size and null both to take O(d).
|O(d) Complements a BitSet with respect to the bounds of a. Preserves order of null and size
|O(d) Insert a single element of type a into the BitSet. Preserves order of null and size
|O(d) Delete a single item from the BitSet. Preserves order of null and size
|O(d). Preserves order of null. May force O(d) size.
|O(d * n) Make a BitSet from a list of items.
|O(d * n) Make a BitSet from a distinct ascending list of items
|O(1) Test for membership in a BitSet
|O(1|d) Is the BitSet empty? May be faster than checking if size == 0 after union. Operations that require a recount are noted.
|O(1|d) The number of elements in the bit set.
|O(1) check to see if we are represented as a complemented BitSet.
|O(d) convert to an Integer representation. Discards negative elements
|Produced by Haddock version 2.4.2

subset: commoncrawl


text:
An article over at The Daily Mail got me thinking about whether beauty products are 'safe' or at least, as beneficial as we think they are. I have turned into a raving mad ball of itchies lately – my skin and scalp are going to pot and methinks and overload of products may have something to do with it.
Now, you know the loves to speak in hyperbole:
Yet just this week, research was published showing that common chemicals used in toiletries may make women more likely to be infertile.
Indeed, inside all those gleaming bottles and tubes we take for granted lurks a cocktail of dangerous synthetic chemicals that research suggests may be responsible for everything from reproductive complications to allergies and cancer.
The main problematic ingredients include:
PPD (paraphenylenediamine) an ingredient used in Hair Dyes because it is said to cause allergic reactions to the skin (possibly causing eczema). I had a quick look at a few hair dyes I have in my bathroom (I buy then decide I don't want carrot red hair) and two of them contained this ingredient – not promising when my scalp is already delicate. I did also have a hair dye from Naturtint which makes dyes free from Ammonia and other slightly dodgy ingredients:
I have used this brand before and there's a good colour range, it barely stings (a little tingly on me) and works pretty well.
Other brands include Logona and Surya who also leave out Ammonia and PPD.
Sodium lauryl sulphate (SLS) is in lots and lots of products and I am quite allergic to it – it gives me itches and red eye. It is a foaming agent primarily and some people, like me, find it very irritating. I had quite a mission finding a high street shampoo without this ingredient, but I found that Boots brand, Naked doesn't use SLS or Parabens, and Lush too. But I won't lie and say its easy for find a brand that omits this ingredient.
In Nail Polish there is Formaldehyde which is that stuff they use to preserve dead people. Did anyone every watch Anyway my friend went to see his dissections and said the smell of Formaldehyde was unbearable. But I digress.
I never used to use polish as I found it dried my nails out badly, and I'd rather have strong, healthy nails than pimped up ones. Once again this can cause allerges and is a potential carcinogen. Plenty of nail polishes however, will say Formaldehyde free these days, unless you are buying a 99p one of course.
Parabens are preservatives that can be found in various types of cosmetics, especially under arm deodorant. THey are link to cancer and possibly breast cancer (since the armpit is so close to the breast). You should also avoid deodorants with Aluminium salts which can have the same effect.
This is my deodorant which is clearly marked aluminium free. It also leaves me smelling like a cupcake!
Bismuth Oxychloride is found in a very well known Mineral Make up brand and is a by product of lead. It can make some people itch as it causes irritation (although this doesn't occur with everyone).
Talcum Powder that is made of 90 per cent mineral talc or more can also cause problems:
The U.S. FDA consider cosmetic-grade talc to be safe, but in 1993 the National Toxicology Programme (NTP) in Britain found that rats exposed to cosmetic-grade talc via inhalation developed a range of inflammatory lung disorders, including cancer of the lungs and rare adrenal cancers.
In addition, eight studies have indicated a 30 to 60 per cent increase in the risk of developing ovarian cancer in women using talc-based body powder in the genital region.
Hear that? Towel dry ladies!
Do you avoid certain ingredients when buying beauty products? Do you not mind as long as it works for you? Would you pay double to buy a product which avoids these ingredients? Do you even believe the hype?
(Answers in comments, unless you want to just answer in your head, in which case, I'd understand).


text:
A Scanner Darkly A Scanner Darkly is a movie based on the novel of the same name, by Philip K. Dick. I have never read the novel (or anything by Philip for that matter), but being a fan of science fiction and fantasy, I know that this author's name rings bells in the science fiction community (think Asimov, Bear, Clark, etc.). I also know that many of his novels and/or short stories have gone on to make or inspire many popular movies such as: Blade Runner, Total Recall and Minority Report to name a few. So I admit that I […]
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Overhead Door Company of Northeast Georgia™
190 Ben Burton Road,
Suite E Bogart, GA 30622
Showroom Hours
Monday-Friday 7am-5pm
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190 Ben Burton Road,
Suite E Bogart, GA 30622
Showroom Hours
Monday-Friday 7am-5pm
Email Us
Emergency Service Available 24/7
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Eloy J Fernandez
Beautiful work. Timely and clean. Did exactly what they said the would do and the the price we agreed on. No hidden charges. Everything done right and in time.
Belinda Nash
Rick Williams
On time and efficient. Technician Gary Nash was professional, knowledgeable and timely. Thanks Gary!!
Michael Gonyea
I called to have a broken spring repaired and Gary came out the next day. He was prompt, polite, extremely professional and gave me updates with time estimates the entire time – he even put out a couple orange cones while parked in my driveway which is the sign of a great work ethic. Highly recommended!
Leslie Teel May
Boyd Sewell
I requested the repair online. Great prompt service. Paul came out and did an excellent job. Very courteous and knowledgeable. Recommend them for your repair needs.
Kimberlee Driggers
Gary Nash did an excellent job fixing our garage door. He was very friendly, professional and prompt.
Angie Sims Locke
Our garage door spring broke and I called for someone to come out and fix it. Gary Nash was here the next morning. He fixed the springs and serviced the door. He was polite and professional. I recommend calling Overhead door if you have any problems with your garage door.
Jimmy Lambert
Great experience from start to finish. Called Thursday morning to set up appointment. They accommodated my late afternoon early evening timeframe for that same evening. The technician, Gary Nash, called 10 minutes before his arrival. He arrived with all the components needed to complete the repair of my garage door. One hour later he was finished with the repair of the torsion springs, as well as adjusting a previous repair that I had made. Could not be happier with the service and professionalism of Gary and the overhead door company of northeast Georgia.
Jennifer Edwards Bole
Same day service! Knowledgeable & professional! We'd highly recommend Overhead & will use them again when needed.
Jessica Strain
Our garage door stopped working abruptly today and I called ODC today at 1215 and Gary the technician was here at 1:20. Very personable and thorough. He was quick to find our issue and get us on with our day. Thank you and will definitely recommend!
Tom Broadnax
After the springs snapped, my garage door was unusable. We put in a service call to Overhead Door and they scheduled a technician to handle the repair. Gary Nash arrived promptly at the specified appointment time, surveyed the issues, and started work straight away. Repairs were finished within an hour and the door is working smoothly again. Thanks!
Catherine Cross Parypinski
Shelley Soliwada Hardin
Got home last night and hit the button to close the garage door and the spring broke! I called overhead door and put in a service call. Gary Nash called me to let me know what time he would b here. He got here on time and fixed my door so my vehicles were no longer trapped in my garage. He explained some aging issues with my door and got everything working! I couldn't b happier! Thank you!!!
Shelli Scates Campodonico
We appreciate the great service Gary Nash! Would recommend Overhead Door Company of NE Ga to all our friends. Thank you. M. Campodonico
Thais Vanderhorst
Gary was great fixing the garage doors..If you need service give them a call. Great Job…
Amanda Clement Martin
Highly recommended without reservation! Gary Nash was very pleasant and efficient! Their scheduling department was prompt and accommodating.
Kim Davis
A big THANKS to Gary Nash and overhead door for the great job yesterday! We are so pleased with the new garage door system you installed and, boy, is it quiet! We will definitely recommend you to any and all that we encounter who wish to install a garage door system or any who need excellent repair work done! 👍🏻👍🏻👍🏻👍🏻👍🏻
Jules Donnelly
Gary Nash was awesome!! So professional and did an amazing job!! Thank you!!
Celita Collins
I want to thank Overhead Door of NE GA and to Gary Nash for the wonderful service today. The company responded to us quickly and Gary provided great service. He arrived on time, immediately knew our problem, and fixed it quickly. He was also very courteous and professional. I highly recommend Overhead Door Company of NE GA and Mr. Nash.
Barbara Belling
I owe a huge thanks to Overhead Door of NE GA and to Gary Nash for the fantastic service today. He was quick to come to the rescue, arrived right on time, and got straight to the solution. I highly recommend them and Mr. Nash and thanks again for turning a bad start to the day into a good one.
Lisa Baranko-Baker
Gary was great, very helpful and totally explained how everything works. All the reviews are accurate. I highly recommend overhead door NE to everyone. Thanks Gary
Lauren Rogers
Gary Nash came and fixed our garage door & he was on time, courteous, thorough, and answered all of our questions! Very much recommended!
Adam Gray
Arrived on time, diagnosed problem, fixed problem very quickly. Mr. Nash very knowledgable and helpful.
Windy Hix
Never a good feeling when your garage door will not open! Overhead Door was prompt in my request for service. The Service Technician, Gary Nash was top notch! Very professional, ensured to answer all of my questions and made sure to explain everything he was doing to get the problem corrected. I will continue to use Overhead Door because of the great service! Thanks again Gary.
Donna Franklin Hewell
Thank you Gary Nash!! We have been going in the front door for several weeks because the garage door had issues. Randall called this morning and in the same day we had Gary out here and the door is fixed.
Mark Camp
Thank you Overhead Door Company of NE Georgia. They definitely got my business. Very courteous, on time and very professional. Gary Nash did a great job repairing and explaining and answering my questions. Again, Thanks Gary.
Amber Garrison
Overhead Door- I cannot recommend Gary Nash highly enough. Unparalleled customer service/satisfaction from a provider by far. He was professional yet approachable, extremely polite, and super knowledgeable. He explained everything and was very accommodating. We will definitely recommend and request Gary Nash again.Thanks for going Above and Beyond
Shawn Puckett
Gary Nash came out right away and had my garage door up and running again in 45 minutes. Thanks for the great service.
Carla Dowjotas Dennis
Amazing service and super speedy! Gary came out first thing when requested, fixed our garage door and explained the issue. I highly recommend him and would use again! Great quality work.
Kristyn Ponton Meade
It's never convenient to have garage door problems, but Overhead Door came out and took care of the problem. Our tech, Gary Nash, came out the next day. Within 30 minutes the door was working better than it ever has! Gary was friendly, professional and gave us some great tips on keeping the door working properly. Thanks Gary and Overhead Door!
Melissa Barnet
Gary came as scheduled & even though after 5pm, he still showed up! Very polite, courteous & hard worker. Explained everything & was thorough. Overall Awesome worker. Thx so much again!!!
Kathy Hoyle-pickens
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Jack McConnell
16:53 06 Feb 19
Came quickly and completed work.
Robert B.
00:13 06 Feb 19
You guys are great. The spring on our garage door broke last night. Set up an on-line appointment this morning and your tech was able to come out same day! Fantastic service and your tech Gary N. was fast and efficient. He already had the parts on his truck and my garage door is working beautifully. Can't thank ya'll enough and I will definitely spread the word.read more
Mandy Farmer
17:49 07 Sep 18
Gary did a great job year ago. He was friendly and professional. He knew his work and knew what the insurance needed to know. He knew how to word the insurance information so I bought a great up graded doir, insulatedread more
Jennifer Queen
14:49 15 Mar 18
This company is quick and attentive. We had received a quote from another company a few months back but it sounded a little far fetched. Gary was straight forward and extremely honest about what we needed done. He was able to fix our problem in 30 minutes! Now we can use the garage door without cringing every time we open it. They will forever be our garage door company.read more
Julie Donahue
02:28 26 Aug 17
Gary Nash is awesome ! He not only repaired our garage door in record time, he also removed a garden snake from our property! We appreciate you Gary!!!!!!read more
Goodrich Aaron
01:46 23 Aug 17
Gary Nash was excellent! Fixed up my garage door, installed a nice keypad for me.
Natalee L
17:58 07 Jun 17
Gary came out and fixed our door right away and was very professional and nice. Great company to deal with.read more
Britt Reid
17:16 01 Jun 17
Gary Nash came out and repaired my garage door in a snap. I can't say enough good things about the professionalism, courtesy, and timeliness. Gary called and said he would be here at 12:00 and he was here when he said he would be. I highly recommend Overhead Door of Northeast GA and Gary Nash especially for all your garage door service.read more
Johnson Randall
20:49 09 Feb 17
My new new Lift Master door opener was installed this afternoon, by Gary Nash. Great job! He arrived on time & finished the job, including clean-up, in quick order. The installation is neatly done and his description of the system operation was clear. Thank You.read more
Allison Craig
16:22 01 Feb 17
Gary Nash was awesome! He was courteous and very professional. He knew exactly what was wrong within 1 minute of arriving. He explained my door problem thoroughly so that I could understand. He gave a great quote, and they will be here in 3 days to do the job. I would highly recommended him and the company.read more
© Overhead Door Company of Northeast Georgia™. 190 Ben Burton Road, Suite E Bogart, GA 30622


text:
All questions and answers are based on the 2005 NEC.
Q. Do I need to use hospital-grade receptacles in a chiropractor's or medical examining room?
A. No. Only receptacles for inpatient sleeping beds or procedure table beds used in a critical patient care area (patient bed location) must be listed as "hospital-grade" [517.18(B) and 517.19(B)(2)] (Fig. 1).
Q. Can I use low-voltage cable for 24V lighting supplied by a 1.5kVA transformer?
A. No. All wiring must be in accordance with Chapter 3 of the NEC, unless Chapters 5 through 8 modifies the general requirements [90.3]. Since there are no rules in Chapter 5 through 8 that modify the wiring method requirements for low-voltage lighting (over 100VA), you'll need to use a traditional wiring method, such as Type MC cable, EMT and wire, or where permitted, Type NM cable.
Q. Does the NEC require a building owner to have spare light bulbs and batteries for emergency lighting and exit signs?
A. No.
Q. What are the rules on mixing emergency circuits in the same raceway or enclosure with nonemergency circuits?
A. To ensure that a fault on the normal wiring circuits will not affect the performance of emergency wiring or equipment, all wiring from an emergency source, or emergency source distribution overcurrent protection device, to emergency loads must be kept entirely independent of all other wiring and equipment, except as permitted for [700.9(B)]: (1) wiring in transfer equipment enclosures (Fig. 2); (2) wiring supplied from two sources in exit or emergency luminaires; or (3) wiring from two sources in a common junction box, attached to exit or emergency luminaires.


text:
Board of Regents Meeting
June 9-10, 2004
Consortium Library, University of Alaska Anchorage
Anchorage, Alaska
PUBLIC TESTIMONY WILL BE HEARD IN TWO SESSIONS : WEDNESDAY MORNING FROM APPROXIMATELY 9:30 A.M. -10:30 A.M. AND THURSDAY MORNING FROM APPROXIMATELY 11:00 A.M. TO 12:00 noon. Sign-up sheets will be available prior to both meetings.
Comments are limited to three minutes per individual. Written comments are accepted and will be distributed to the Board of Regents and President Hamilton following the meeting.
Full agenda with references are sent to all University of Alaska campus libraries. For further information, please call the Board of Regents' Office at 474-7908 or e-mail firstname.lastname@example.com.
Meeting Schedule
Full Board Agenda
Academic & Student Affairs Committee Agenda
Facilities and Land Management Committee Agenda
Finance and Audit Committee Agenda
Human Resources Committee Agenda
Planning and Development Committee Agenda


text:
All week, we watch what unfolds on basketball courts across the country. Every Monday afternoon, we learn what reporters and coaches think those results mean with the release of the AP and USA Today coaches polls.
The polls aren't as important in college hoops as they are in college football, of course, but they're still fun to discuss. So here's our weekly look at a few of the teams making moves—both good and bad.
DeCOURCY: Miller says No. 1 ranking 'not the end goal'
Moving up: Baylor
Last week: No. 20 in both polls
This week: No. 14 in AP, No. 18 in coaches
Thoughts … The Bears have plenty of talent, as has been the case with most of coach Scott Drew's teams in Waco. They've been a bit inconsistent, as has been the case with many of Drew's teams, too. Remember, they needed a big second-half to pull away from NAIA team Chaminade in their Maui Invitational opener (and gave up 42 points to Christophe Varidel). But when the Baylor talent plays well, the Bears can be very good. During a winter storm in Dallas on Friday, they downed then-No. 3 Kentucky, 67-62, behind a balanced scoring attack and another big second half. All of a sudden, Baylor is on track to enter Big 12 play in early January with a 12-1 record (only loss to a top-five team in Syracuse) and a resume-anchoring win against a very good Kentucky squad.
Moving down: Michigan State
Last week: No. 1 in both polls
This week: No. 5 in both polls
Thoughts … The Spartans were upended by North Carolina at home last Wednesday, and the loss was more than a little bit disconcerting. The Tar Heels outscored Tom Izzo's team by 14 points in the second half, and for the game the Spartans were dominated in several categories: points in the paint (44 to 28), points off turnovers (19 to seven), second-chance points (19 to 10) and bench points (31 to 17). Starting guards Keith Appling and Gary Harris combined to shoot 10-for-30, and forward Branden Dawson was largely invisible in his 17 minutes. Michigan State isn't a fully healthy team, of course, but this game gave Izzo plenty of fire to fuel practices for the next few months.
Moving up: North Carolina
Last week: Not ranked in AP, No. 25 in coaches
This week: No. 18 in AP, No. 21 in coaches
Thoughts … Yep, we're talking about the Tar Heels again in this column. Have every week since its debut in mid-November, and that has nothing to do with UNC's proximity to SN headquarters in Charlotte. Roy Williams' team continued its confounding pattern again last week, traveling to East Lansing and rolling past the top-ranked Michigan State Spartans with a dominating second half. They now have wins against No. 1 and No. 3 (Louisville) and losses to never-will-be-ranked-this-year Belmont and UAB. On Saturday, North Carolina hosts a Kentucky team that started the season ranked No. 1 but fell to No. 11 with its second loss of the season, on Friday to Baylor in Dallas.
Moving down: Kansas
Last week: No. 6 in AP, No. 7 in coaches
This week: No. 13 in AP, No. 13 in coaches
Thoughts … Here's the thing about this Kansas team. As much as any squad in the country, any losses they suffer in the non-conference portion of the schedule will be almost completely irrelevant by the time the NCAA Tournament rolls around in March. The Jayhawks are young and loaded with NBA talent, and finding the right mixture is a challenge for coach Bill Self, who has a pretty good track record. Until everything is right, though, there will be ups and downs, and very good teams like Colorado will give Kansas everything it can handle. The Buffaloes moved into the AP poll this week (No. 21) after their win against the Jayhawks.


text:
Tuesday, October 9, 2012
Monday: Hard
Tuesday: Moderate intensity volume
Wednesday: Recovery
Thursday: Hard
Friday: Moderate
Saturday: Easy
Sunday: Hard
Monday: Moderate
Tuesday: Easy
So it's structured as a 3 day micro-cycle with a hard session, then a moderate intensity/ moderate (maybe long) volume session, and then a recovery day. Repeat.
I definitely fall in to a body rhythm where I balance on the edge of being able to recover or not. For Leadman I worked off a 7 day schedule because of my wife's work schedule.
Here's a sample week of Leadman training.
I love my old school hand written log and I'll never change this. My passion is this sport, why log it on something as impersonal as a key board? I even have a superstition that I can only sharpen my pencil (the same pencil I've used for maybe 8 years now) with the pocket knife that my Grandfather carried in the Battle of the Bulge in WWII... it brings me luck. For real.
Anyway. The week above is a somewhat typical week (and is written in Lucho code. The up arrow is vertical climbed, HR is heart rate, and red pen indicates either quality or long sessions. Easy to see when flipping pages. The last square is the week total) with variation in the Wednesday session. I tried to run long on that day and then back it up with another long run on Thursday but it didn't always work. This week was also done in the last weeks leading up to the Leadville Marathon (the week before Mt Evans) so the intensity is quite high. I made an error though in the cycling volume and it cost me at both Mt Evans and the Leadville marathon. So it went:
Monday: Threshold Bike
Tuesday: Run Vo2 max hill climb 10 X 1:00 + tempo.
Wednesday: Bike long
Thursday: Long run with 4400 ft vertical at 7:37 pace.
Friday: Recovery bike
Saturday: Run 10 X 1:15 hill intervals on 45" rest.
Sunday: Medium long run with a 3 mile hill climb at threshold then an easy bike.
You can do anything and you don't have to make it as complicated as I like to but the most important thing is to find your own structure or 'basic week'. If you keep a log then look for patterns in training. Not only in terms of recovery but also the intensity of the sessions in the days preceding poor quality days. Maybe you went too hard? Getting good is not about that once a week 'secret' interval session... it's about week in and week out, month in and month out consistent training.
8 comments:
- GZ said...
Blah blah blah blah
Effin awesome story about the pencil and the knife by your kin
Blah blah blah blah,
(not really but the pencil thing beat the shit out of all the other cool stuff you wrote)
- October 09, 2012
- Dave said...
Duuuuude....Dude. This post was awesome. First off, I love the fact that you sharpen a pencil with a knife-and not just any knife, but one that has HISTORY. And then, I totally agree with a hand written log. Even though I'm probably the furthest I've ever been from structured training myself, for all my clients and athletes I LOVE writing their training in my own handwriting. Even though my handwriting is like a 3 year old on crack, there's something that connects me with it far more than if I were to type it up.
Hope all is well man!
- October 09, 2012
- Jill said...
Hahah, George! :)
In a cross country move many years ago, I lost some of my fondest memories - included were decades of hand-written training logs. In particular (which made me have to comment here) were personal notes my college track coach wrote to me - in his favorite pencil which he sharpened with a pocket knife (freaky) which was always tucked away behind his ear so he could jot quick notes as he watched us run. He'd give us those notes, with a loooooong explanation (lecture?) at the end of the day. I may have argued with him a time or 300, but I saved every one of those notes because he was always right (of course) and ALWAYS believed in me. He died shortly after I graduated in a very bizarre accident and I think about those logs from time to time...lost God knows where. I still hand-write logs so I can spread them all out on the table - years worth - and visualize - and remember. The OCD in me also logs online in a Word doc and two online logs simply because I love data and the charts and graphs they produce. Overkill, yes, especially since I can't run with a shit anymore. Whatever. Point was: we all do what we feel works best for whatever reasons.
Sorry, this post opened a flood gate of memories so thought I'd share.
Continue on rambling...
- October 10, 2012
- Stay Vertical said...
I moved West from my family home after my father passed in 2005. A few years later my Mother-in-Law (who still lives near my family home) told me that the people who bought my home had found a box in the garage rafters. She took the box and stored it for me. I knew exactly what it was. This past summer I traveled back home and eagerly opened it after almost 7 years...
Inside was the first 7 years of training logs belonging to my father and I, from my first run in 1985 to my bitter depart from running in 1992. The logs were hand-written by my father. The joy and pride of his chronicling my progress was magical. Also inside were singlets from my father's track team. He named the team The Challengers to honor the lost Astronauts of the Challenge Shuttle. My old blue jersey barely fit over my head- I was 7 at the time. But, my father's fits me perfectly. I trained and raced in it and practically never took it off all this summer.
Running is the thread that ties my entire life's journey together. Finding meaning in the little things like sharpening a pencil makes perfect sense to me. Not sure why, but nothing stirs sentiment in me like running. I trust you can still find the magic in running through your new sprinting quest. It is still just running after all.
Best regards,
- October 10, 2012
- jameson said...
that last paragraph is $$$!
preach on dude!
- October 11, 2012
Knife piece was awesome. My grandpa also faught in the bulge.....spirit of the greatest generation lives!
- October 15, 2012
- Drew said...
Hey Tim,
Been lurking for a while now, love reading about the awesome things you do. Are you still taking on athletes?
I'm signed up for IMWI next year and I'm trying to find a coach/plan to get started with. Somehow I feel like you know a thing or two about ironman ;)
- October 26, 2012
- Lucho said...
Drew- Thank you! I am currently only taking Ironman/ triathletes... shoot me an e-mail at jogdaddy (gmail).
- October 26, 2012


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GIMP 3-D, 3 Ways
Drop-Shadows and Bump MapsWhen you add text to a photo in GIMP, sometimes it comes out looking flat and boring. Today, let's explore three ways of adding an extra dimensions to your images and text.
Drop-Shadow Tricks
You're probably familiar with the basic Filters/Light and Shadow/Drop Shadow.... But you can use Drop Shadow to round your text and make it more three-dimensional as well. The trick is to make a drop shadow of the inverse of the text.
Create some text with GIMP's Text tool -- the big A button in the toolbox. Click in the image, choose a color, font and size, and type your text to create a new text layer on top of your photograph. You can move the layer around to put it whereever you want it.
Then select the text, with Layer/Transparency/Alpha to Selection. Invert that selection with Select/Invert -- now everything except your text is selected -- and bring up the Filters/Light and Shadow/Drop Shadow... dialog. Un-check the Allow resizing box and click OK.
To see the effect better, get rid of your selection with Select/None. Of course, if you like the effect but want to tweak it a little bit, you can Undo and try again with different drop shadow parameters. If you combine it with a regular drop shadow, the effect is even more 3-D (Figure 2).
Once you have the effect the way you want it, be sure to save your working image as filename.xcf.gz or filename.xcf.bz2. XCF is GIMP's native format, so you'll preserve all your layers and text effects, while gz and bz2 are two different types of compression to make the file a little smaller. It doesn't make much difference whether you choose gz or bz2 compression.
Then, if you need a copy for the web or to share with friends once you've saved the XCF, use File/Save a Copy... to create filename.jpg.
Bump Map
GIMP also has plug-ins specifically designed to make 3-D effects. The most useful is Bump Map.
Bump Map uses one layer to raise (or lower) part of another layer. Your text layer should be white where you want it to "push up on" the photo layer. If you used some other color for the previous step, you can change its color by right-clicking on the layer in the Layers dialog and choosing the topmost menu item, Text Tool. Then you can click on the color button in the text tool options to change the color to white. Of course, you can always make a brand new text layer, if you prefer.
Once you have some white text, go back to the Layers dialog and click on
the photograph layer. This is the layer bump map will operate on; the
text layer is the bump map itself.
- Skip Ahead
- 1. Drop-Shadows and Bump Maps
- 2. Drop-Shadows and Bump Maps


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If you are one of the schools that need to use Internet Explorer 6 to stay compatible with a specific application you use, then you may find it useful to know that there are options to help you to move your ICT infrastructure forward, whilst keeping IE6 support on your network for certain users.
One option is to read the "Tools to make working with Internet Explorer 6 in Windows 7 easier" blog post
An alternative is to put an hour aside to join the Springboard virtual roundtable on 30th September, at 5pm.
Roundtable: Deploying Windows 7, but still running Web applications based on Internet Explorer 6?
Join us live on Thursday, September 30, 2010 for a virtual, interactive roundtable discussion on migration strategies, standards, and support for organisations moving from Internet Explorer 6 to Internet Explorer 8.
As organisations deploy Windows 7, many still depend on web applications that were designed for Internet Explorer 6. Will they still work, and what can you do when they don't? Join a panel of IT Professionals, Microsoft specialists and technical experts to discuss best practices to simplify and accelerate the migration to Internet Explorer 8. Topics will include an explanation of the causes of and solutions for application compatibility issues (including policy, code, and virtualisation solutions), an introduction to tools, and a review of best practices.
Ask your questions live during the event with our online tool - or submit your questions in advance to email@example.com.
Find out more, and register for the Virtual Roundtable


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Chicago-Kent College of Law established the Center
for Access to Justice & Technology (CAJT) to make
justice more accessible to the public by promoting the use
of the Internet in the teaching, practice, and public access
to the law.
If you are interested in continuing your role with the
A2J Student Editorial Board, but need a refresher on some
of the features of A2J Author, there will be a refresher
training from 12:00 – 1:00 p.m. on Tuesday, September 25th.
The training will be in room C25. Pizza and drinks will
be served.
The training will cover the basics of creating an A2J interview,
and there will be time to address any specific issues that
you may be having with your current interviews. Please contact
Daniel Attaway if you have any questions.
Are you looking for a rewarding public interest experience?
If so, the ABA Division for Public Services wants you! We
seek a law clerk with exceptional research and writing skills
to conduct an individualized public interest legal research
and writing project in Washington, DC. In concert with one
of our Public Services Division attorneys and a law school
faculty reviewer, you will develop a substantive legal monograph
that may be published, if of a quality acceptable by the
ABA. For more information and to download the application,
visit the American
Bar Association website.
Legal Aid Online, is a non-profit organization, begun
by a statewide collaboration of legal aid organizations,
whose mission is to provide low-income individuals and the
attorneys who serve them with greater access to legal information
through the use of technology.
We have need for at least one student associate who is
fluent in Spanish. The positions will begin with the Fall
2007 semester, and will require a commitment of approximately
20 hours per week, with flexibility around exams and holidays.
The position's salary is $10 per hour. For more information
please contact Betsy Ehlen, Legal Content Coordinator, at
312.977.9047 ext. 14. To apply, submit your resume to Ms.
Betsy Ehlen.
SHWC is currently seeking volunteer web facilitators for
the Self-Help Web Desk at the Daley Center. Volunteers at
the web desk gain real-world experience by helping self-represented
and under-represented litigants access legal information
through the internet. To become an SHWC volunteer or to
learn more about this program contact Michael Hoffman; email@example.com
For more information about any of our projects or positions
please email: email@example.com, or visit www.kentlaw.edu/cajt.
Main Chicago-Kent event
Academic calendar
CLE calendar
Alumnae/i event calendar
Admissions calendar


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Olympic gold
July 16, 2011
Ten Bradley University students have secured highly sought after internships with NBC at the 2012 Summer Olympic Games in London.
NBC conducted a series of on-campus interviews in April before selecting the Bradley students, who were in competition with students from a select few of the top universities across the country.
"This is a wonderful opportunity for our students to demonstrate their skills on the world's largest broadcasting stage," Bradley President Joanne Glasser said. "Bradley has exactly what NBC needs: bright, skilled, experienced and energetic students who are prepared to bring compelling Olympic stories to viewers back home. I look forward to this great partnership lasting for years."
More than 40 Bradley students were interviewed by NBC officials before the final selections were made. Interns will fulfill a variety of duties for NBC, ranging from front-line tasks in London to behind-the-scenes production jobs in New York City. The internships will last from three to five weeks next summer; the 2012 London games run from July 27 to August 12.
"Our students can compete with those at any other university," said Dr. Paul Gullifor, chair of the Department of Communication and the Henry Means Pindell Endowed Chair in Communication. "This is a once-in-a-lifetime opportunity to get practical experience working for one of the world's greatest media organizations at the world's premiere sporting event."
Kevin McClelland '11 calls his selection a dream come true. "The Olympics is considered the pinnacle of athletic competition across the world, so to be a part of this international sporting event will surely be the experience of a lifetime," McClelland said.
NBC was attracted to Bradley after President Glasser and Dr. Gullifor met with network officials in New York last year to discuss the University's top-notch academic program and its high-quality students. Bradley offers a one-of-a-kind sports communication curriculum and has a long tradition of educating world-class sports announcers and broadcasting professionals. Among the university's notable alumni are Charley Steiner, Andy Masur, Jack Brickhouse, Ralph Lawler, and Chick Hearn.
Students underwent rigorous preparation before meeting with NBC officials, including mock interviews with alumni, advice on resume writing, and an overview of Olympic and NBC history.


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Recently the AIGA partnered with INDEX, Circle of Blue and New York design firm Collins, to launch "Designing Water's Future", the first annual Aspen Design Challenge. Aiming to stimulate thought and mobilize the design community towards tackling global issues, the project is calling a global audience of design students to redefine and respond to the global fresh water crisis.
The Aspen Design Challenge has been distributed to thousands of students at over 250 universities from Beijing to Boston, and anyone wishing to participate may do so by visiting the Aspen Design Challenge website. The AIGA has reported, that there are "already commitments from schools in Australia, China, Denmark, Qatar and the United States."
The medium of entries is unrestricted; print design, web applications, environmental design, physical devices, data presentation tools, and other approaches are all encouraged. "Design students are encouraged to lead cross-disciplinary teams of engineers, artists, ethnographers, anthropologists and scientists, and to consider the social, cultural and scientific significance of water use."
The most promising project will receive The INDEX:AIGA Aspen Design Challenge Prize in August 2009 in Copenhagen. Winners will also be given the opportunity to develop their concepts with world leaders and policy makers at the Aspen Environment Forum, and their solutions will be discussed at the World Economic Forum, the United Nations Climate Change Conference, and the World Business Summit on Climate Change.
This is such an exciting competition! To find our more visit AspenDesignChallenge.org


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Re-Endorsing Obama
Prop. 8: Some further Thoughts on Equality by Civil Union; Leave Marriage to Religion
In an essay published Friday in the San Francisco Chronicle, I proposed that the way to settle the Prop.8 lawsuit was for California to withdraw from the marriage business, substituting civil unions prospectively for gay and straight alike. The commentary has received many favorable comments, but also several people have posed a number of practical difficulties. In an effort to answer them, here are just a couple of additional comments to consider:
1. The Governor has an obligation to ensure that the laws of the state are evenhandedly applied; in light of the California Supreme Court holding that sexual orientation is a suspect class, that obligation arguably includes construing the California family code, including any undefined term such as "spouse" in the Registered Domestic Partner (RDP) statute as well as any of the other general family code provisions articulating the importance or significance of the family in a way that does not differentiate on the basis of sexual orientation;
2. It is well settled in the case precedent of the federal and state courts that equality can be ensured by either granting a new right to the deprived class or withdrawing an existing one from a favored one. Thus, equality can be provided either by extending marriage to same-sex couples (this path is, of course, blocked by proposition 8, itself) or withdrawing, prospectively, from "marriage" licensing altogether;
3. Even if the Governor took the most conservative view of his administrative, regulatory authority and found the existing family code insufficient to issue such regulations, at a minimum, the Governor could propose the "civil union for all" idea as a remedial option for the California court to consider through the Attorney General who is required to give his views in briefing; the remedial power of the court to construe existing code provisions is arguably more expansive than the Governor's administrative authority alone; you'll remember that both the Vermont and Massachusetts courts gave the legislature a period of time in which to enact appropriate legislation to bring their respective states into compliance with the equal protection holdings in favor of same-sex couples in those states;
4. Y es, it's true, state civil unions would not confer any federal marriage rights so long as the Defense of Marriage Act (DOMA) was in place; but a California marriage license issued to a same-sex couples would have been equally ineffective to convey federal rights; if federal rights are to be provided, DOMA will need to be modified or repealed;
5. T he establishment clause problem is capable of being addressed in the drafting of either administrative regulation or legislation; specifically, regulation and then any confirmatory or validating legislation would provide that going forward civil union status within the state of California substitutes for the past practice of marital licensing issued under the family code;
6. What then is the value of a religiously granted marriage license? the marriage bond and any certificate issued by religious organizations governs status only within the church community; it would have no operative effect in the state or federal secular systems; yet, most people of faith view the preservation of religious freedom to be the heart of the matter. In short, for those of us who believe that marriage is a status authored by God Himself, this is not insignificant even as it has no temporal effect on medicare or other benefits; importantly, separating state granted civil union from religiously granted marriage does avoid the encroachment by the state on private religious belief that was occasioned by the California Supreme Court decision without proposition 8; so too, the proposed separation of function also avoids the imposition of religious belief upon nonbelievers that is implicit in the passage of proposition 8.
Again, thank you for the many thoughtful comments on the civil union compromise. Hopefully, these additional thoughts suggest that the proposal earlier outlined is more tenable than perhaps first thought. In any event, by both these thoughts and those offered initially, I hope do convey the importance of demonstrating respect for the dignity of all Californians and the continuing importance of observing religious freedom in ways that proposition 8 did not successfully address.
Convictions on Sabbatical
Over the past four months, Convictions has reached hundreds of thousands of readers and contributed a great deal to America's legal conversation. However, we have decided to take a sabbatical. Instead of running Convictions as a continuous blog, we'll call on our excellent roster of contributors when news breaks, and run their exchanges as a multi-part conversation, as we do Dahlia Lithwick and Walter Dellinger's Supreme Court conversation at the end of term.
In addition, I will be taking a leave of absence from
to serve as the Obama campaign's national
director. I've been grateful for this opportunity to work with such brilliant and engaging contributors, editors and staff, and look forward to rejoining
after the election.
Thank you for all of your readership, participation, comments and e-mails over the past four months.
Executive (Over)Privileged -- Must the Abuse Continue?
Today on Findlaw, I explore the problematic misuse of executive privilege in the Bush administration.
That misuse continued late last week when former White House Chief of Staff Karl Rove refuse to honor the subpoena of a House subcommittee looking into whether or not wrongful pressure was brought upon US attorneys in the prosecution of a former Democratic governor of Arkansas. The subcommittee had subpoenaed Rove in May to explore what, if any role, he played in the prosecution of former Alabama Governor Don Siegelman or in the unexplained dismissal of US Attorneys. In spurning the subpoena, Rove indicated that he was following the instruction of the White House not to appear before the committee on the grounds that this would interfere with the president's internal communications. The full committee and ultimately the full House must now decide whether to hold Mr. Rove in contempt.
Late last month, in a related inquiry being litigated in the District Court in Washington, D.C., Judge John D. Bates heard vigorous argument from the Bush White House in defense of its refusal to supply documents to Congress or to allow the Congressional testimony of former White House Counsel Harriet Miers and Chief of Staff Joshua Bolten regarding the controversial dismissal of a series of U.S. Attorneys. Here too, Congress is investigating based on suspicion that the dismissals were politically-motivated; and, as in the case of Mr. Rove, the Bush Administration has blocked its inquiry by asserting executive privilege.
It is smugly assumed by the Bush administration that the awkwardness and difficulty of resolving an inter-branch dispute over executive privilege will mean that the case will linger past the national election and next January when the matter can be declared moot. The rule of law deserves better.
Judge Bates who has charge of the Miers/Bolten matter should put the burden on The White House to establish -- as a matter of original understanding -- the constitutional basis for the privilege beyond national security and the protection from outside interference of an on-going federal prosecution. The historical compilation of privilege claims was undertaken some years ago in the Office of Legal Counsel by the venerable Herman Marcuse whose service in OLC goes clear back to Humphrey's Executor if not before. Marcuse found what Archibald Cox found:
"Over a period of a century and a half thirteen Presidents found a total of twenty occasions on which to refuse to turn over information demanded by an arm of Congress. . . .If one looks at what was done and confines the words to the events, nothing appears which even approaches a solid historical practice of recognizing claims of executive privilege based upon an undifferentiated need for preserving the secrecy of internal communications within the Executive Branch."
Allowing Rove, Miers and Bolten to stiff arm Congress in the present matter where the heart of the inquiry is prosecutorial abuse, itself, stands the purpose of the privilege on its head.
If the court turns away the Administration's overly-broad claim of executive privilege here, it jeopardizes no national security interest or ongoing investigation. The question presented is simply whether existing laws are adequate to avert the apparent or actual politicization of major charging and subsidiary prosecutorial judgments by the mid-term dismissals of U.S. Attorneys and to ensure going forward that the dismissal of presidential appointees is not fobbed off on unaccountable staff assistants. In the present matter, neither the President nor the then-Attorney General claimed to have supervised the dismissals closely or at all. Perhaps the administration wishes to argue that is "merely" near-impeachable maladministration, but alternatively, it could well be a systemic failure of the law. Either way, the Congress has a fully legitimate legislative interest.
Finally, even if Judge Bates is reluctant to re-examine the scope of executive privilege, there is a simple and well-established principle that should foreclose a successful privilege claim: the dismissals represent past, not ongoing, decision-making. The late Attorney General William French Smith reflected that legislative oversight "can almost always be properly conducted with reference to information concerning decisions which the Executive Branch has already reached."
Indeed, the historic defender of the presidential office, the Office of Legal Counsel, has written that "[t]he courts have held that the 'deliberative process' privilege does not protect documents which reflect final opinions, statements of reasons supplying the bases for decisions, or policies actually adopted, or documents that otherwise constitute the 'working law' of the agency."
For these reasons, the subpoenas for Rove's, Miers's and Bolten's testimony, as well as for relevant documents, should be enforced. Better yet, the President should take the high ground and send his one-time aides to the Hill with their relevant papers without compulsory process. Doing so would affirm that cooperating with legislative objectives can be, in the American Republic, another way to defend and enhance the body politic's respect for the office of the Presidency.
And on an unrelated -- but grateful (yet bittersweet) -- note, so long to Convictions as we have known it. The short experiment into the blog world has been fun. I look forward to participating in the new format, and this now blog-homeless-writer welcomes offers of blog-shelter from those who may have interest in the honest application of conservative principles to, well, even conservatives.
Tony Snow and Tim Russert Together Again
Tony Snow was a kind man who enjoyed sparring with his former colleagues in the press.
As well deserved as most of the criticism of the Bush administration has been - on Iraq, on the economy, on the environment, on just about everything except Roberts and Alito -- that criticism also at times exceeds the boundaries of taste or fact. With an ever charitable smile and an offer of friendliness, if not friendship, always behind his eyes, Tony could convey, "I know you can't really mean that" without parallel in the journalistic craft.
Tony saved the Bush presidency from descending into negative approval numbers. [Read here Tony interjecting from eternity: "I know you can't really mean that."]. His two predecessors -- Ari Fleischer and Scott McClellan and his successor - Dana Perino - each possess individual strengths (respectively: intelligence; awkwardness inviting sympathy; attractive unflappability), but all of them read the job description as including defending the Bush indefensible.
Tony didn't -- well, at least not entirely. As the colloquy between Katie Couric and the late Tim Russert (below) on the day of Tony's appointment records, Tony became press secretary to one of the most unpopular presidents in our history in essence "with tenure," by having been honest in past assessment of the administration. While Tony was not given to the negative in either personal or professional life - as manifest in his own cheerfully placed thumb in cancer's relentlessly cancerous pursuit of his vitality - he had the gift of knowing the truth and not being defeated by it. It was as if he was borrowing for his boss the forgiveness of the wrongly accused character in a Tolstoy folktale. Yes, Tony, "God (does) know the truth, but waits."
Tim Russert, welcome your friend Tony home today. You now have a pal to watch the conventions with. God always provides.
Requiescat in Pace.
From the NBC Today Show of April 27, 2006:
Couric: "Let's move on to Snow in April. Tony Snow named new White House Press Secretary. As Kelly mentioned he's been critical of the White House. He has said, called the President quote, 'Something of an embarrasment,' who has quote, 'lost control of the federal budget,' and is the architect of a quote, 'listless domestic policy.' Were you surprised at, at this choice?"
Russert: "Not at all Katie. They had been talking to Tony Snow for about a week or so. He is a polished, articulate, conservative commentator. He is someone that the President wants out front before the American people every morning, every night articulating and making the President's case. His personality is such that he's a pleasant man. They believe that Tony Snow can connect with the American people and help put a positive gloss on the Bush administration policies. That's why he was picked."
The Imperial Presidency Lives!
I want to add a small addendum to your post . There is a big difference between the president asking for a power and Congress granting it to him, and the president claiming a power for himself and Congress acquiescing. Critics of the Bush administration argue that Bush shot himself in the foot by failing, in the immediate aftermath of 9/11, to ask Congress for powers that it would have been happy enough to give him. Bush (or Cheney or Addington or whoever) supposedly refused to take this step because he (or they) didn't just want to obtain additional powers for counterterrorism activity; they also wanted to establish a precedent that the executive had the inherent or constitutional power to engage in these activities, at least in wartime, without congressional authorization. This would give the executive the power and flexibility it would need to address future threats, including and especially those not foreseen by Congress and hence not anticipated in existing law, and help restore the imperial presidency that was lost after Watergate.
The recent FISA amendment bill vindicates this strategy. Henceforth, presidents who contemplate law-breaking for national security purposes will look back to the Bush administration and see that the president got away with these activities, and indeed received the blessing of Congress-even in the most unpropitious political atmosphere imaginable. Private actors such as telephone companies will also in future look to this precedent, when they weigh the risks of defying the president versus the risks of defying Congress.
To be sure, Congress does not explicitly acknowledge the president's small-c constitutional new powers, and Congress tries to anticipate this behavior by providing in the new bill that the FISA procedure will be the "exclusive" means for surveillance. However, this is akin to stating that a precedent is not a precedent. Looking forward, presidents and private actors should anticipate the following, if they again break the surveillance law. (1) A great deal of political noise. (2) A bill that implicitly excuses them for what they have done. (3) And, in that same bill, a provision that further tells them not to do it again. I think they can live with that.
The critics, careful lawyers that they are, understood that Bush would have a stronger legal case for his counterterrorism policies if they had congressional imprimatur. But the critics simply did not share his other goal-which was to strengthen presidential power, which requires the president to defy Congress and then face it down. This, Bush has done. And it may be his most important legacy-a grand success for Cheney, Addington, Yoo, and the other presidential-power supporters in the administration.
Arlen Specter: "Read the Constitution? That's a court's job, not a Senator's"
This week's passage and enactment of the FISA amendments ( H.R. 6304 ) was not without controversy (obviously), but I was particularly struck by an aspect of the story that's received remarkably little attention: Sen. Arlen Specter sponsored an amendment ( S.Amdt.5059 ) to the particularly controversial grant of immunity to telecoms that had worked with NSA; under his amendment, such immunity would have been contingent upon a court's determination that the telecom's activities were "provided in connection with an intelligence activity that violated the Constitution of the United States."
What a spectacle: a United States Senator -- a former prosecutor and the senior Republican on the S e nate Judiciary Committee, no less! -- effectively declared himself to be incapable of determining what the Constitution does and does not proscribe. (Of course, Senator Specter was not alone: 37 senators voted for his ill-conceived amendment .)
Specter's attempt to pass the buck on this constitutional question should disturb both proponents and critics of the NSA surveillance activities at issue. That said, and as I've noted previously , Senator Specter's approach to the issue of the constitutionality of NSA surveillance activities is but one example of his tendency to (1) punt controversial issues to the courts, yet (2) loudly chastise the courts for "denigrat[ing] ... congressional authority" when the politics winds suit the change in approach.
The New FISA Law and the Construction of the National Surveillance State
We have been covering the features of the new FISA act over at Balkinization ( here , here , here , and here ), and I won't repeat that analysis here. I continue to think that the new procedures in Title I are far more worrisome than Title II, the immunity for telecom companies. But in this post Iwant to say a few words about the larger meaning of what has happened.
War Powers Consultation Act
Suppose you think that Congress should have more say over war-making, as James Baker, William Christopher, and their bipartisan commission do , and the president less. Would your new War Powers Consultation Act do this?
Our proposed statute would provide that the president must consult with Congress before ordering a "significant armed conflict" - defined as combat operations that last or are expected to last more than a week. To provide more clarity than the 1973 War Powers Resolution, our statute also defines what types of hostilities would not be considered significant armed conflicts - for example, training exercises, covert operations or missions to protect and rescue Americans abroad. If secrecy or other circumstances precluded prior consultation, then consultation - not just notification - would need to be undertaken within three days.
To guarantee that the president consults with a cross section of Congress, the act would create a joint Congressional committee made up of the leaders of the House and the Senate as well as the chairmen and ranking members of key committees. These are the members of Congress with whom the president would need to personally consult. Almost as important, the act would establish a permanent, bipartisan staff with access to all relevant intelligence and national-security information.
Congress would have obligations, too. Unless it declared war or otherwise expressly authorized a conflict, it would have to vote within 30 days on a resolution of approval. If the resolution of approval was defeated in either House, any member of Congress could propose a resolution of disapproval. Such a resolution would have the force of law, however, only if it were passed by both houses and signed by the president or the president's veto were overridden. If the resolution of disapproval did not survive the president's veto, Congress could express its opposition by, for example, using its internal rules to block future spending on the conflict.
It won't work, even in the unlikely event that a president would sign this bill, or Congress overrode a veto. Presidents won't consult; they'll inform, as they always have. If Congress, or members of Congress, try to persuade a court to compel the president to consult, the court will refuse, as courts always have, in such interbranch spats. If a member of Congress proposes a resolution of disapproval, it won't obtain the 2/3 vote necessary to overcome the president's inevitable veto, and even if it does, the president will ignore the resolution, as presidents always have. Congress could express its opposition by blocking future spending, but Congress has always had this option, and almost never used it. As for the permanent committee, the problem has never been that the president doesn't know whom to consult; it's that his judgment and Congress's is different, and Congress has no politically viable tools for preventing the president from taking us to war.
The War Powers Resolution, which this new bill is to supplant, didn't fail because it was unconstitutional. It failed because, over the years, the president has obtained the power to make war. That won't change until the public decides that it won't allow one person to have this power. Only a disaster would cause the public to make such a decision. Is Iraq such a disaster? No; Congress authorized that war, so even if the War Powers Consultation Act had been on the books when that war began, it wouldn't have made a bit of difference.
UPDATE: see Timothy Noah's discussion here . Noah says that Congress wouldn't take the power even if given to it. Maybe that's true, or often true, but there have been some cases -- Clinton's use of force in Kosovo comes to mind -- where Congress stepped to the plate, bravely made its disapproval known on the record for all to see, and -- was ignored.
Janice Rogers Brown Is Experienced
As Dahlia noted a couple of weeks ago , Chief Justice Roberts used his dissent in Sprint v. APCC [pdf] as an occasion to quote (or, perhaps, misquote ) Bob Dylan. As Alex Long previously explained , however, quoting Bob Dylan in a judicial opinion is hardly novel: Dylan's lyrics have been invoked in dozens of legal opinions and articles.
D.C. Circuit Judge Janice Rogers Brown has taken this trend to a whole new level: Today she opened the court's opinion in K&R Limited Partnership v. Massachusetts Housing Finance Agency [pdf] with a line from ... Jimi Hendrix :
Forty years ago Jimi Hendrix trilled his plaintive query: "Is this love, baby, or is it … [just] confusion?" JIMI HENDRIX, Love or Confusion , on ARE YOU EXPERIENCED (Reprise Records 1967). In this False Claims Act case, we face a similar question involving a mortgage subsidy program initiated in that era: Is this fraud, or is it … just confusion?
I find it hard to believe that any other judge, boomer or otherwise, will be able to top this. So let's hope that good folks of the federal and state benches all have the good sense to stop trying, before this gets out of hand.
Do we really want to head down a road where, forty years from now, we'll see today's music showing up in opinions? Will judges someday quote New Found Glory in tort suits ("slightly bruised and broken from our head on collision")? Maybe a future judge (appointed by President Obama , no doubt) will employ Jay-Z's " 99 Problems " to help define to contours of permissible car searches under the Fourth Amendment.
Thanks, but no thanks. In the words of Waylon Jennings , let's hope that "this time will be the last time."


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The donation options on the blog donation page include one-time donations and monthly subscription options. (Subscriptions can be canceled through Paypal at any time.) I want to reiterate that I don't want anyone to donate if that donation would create financial hardship for them! But if you can afford to donate, every little bit helps. Every pinch of spice matters.
|Spices by Jiří Dokoupil
This space is a strictly-moderated safe space for feminist activism, which takes a tremendous amount of time and resources, and is additionally incompatible with a number of online funding options, including content-generated advertising. Rather than seek corporate sponsorship or mandatory subscription models, both of which I feel are incompatible with my intersectional activism, I have chosen to embrace a donation/patronage crowd-funding model in order to cover blog operation costs. (And if this sounds a lot like the fundraising posts you see at Shakesville, that's partly osmosis and partly because I am deliberately trying to follow Melissa McEwan's model of valuing feminist work, and I've borrowed heavily with Liss' permission.)
I cannot afford to run this site full-time for free, but even if I could, I believe that fundraising for my work is a feminist act. I ask to be paid for my work because feminist advocacy has value and should not be undervalued or unpaid as "women's work" or a "pink collar" profession. If I do not ask to be paid for my work, then I fear I am feeding into a cultural narrative which says that society is entitled to a woman's work for free. I don't want to support that framing.
I also want to use this space to say thank you to everyone who contributes to this space: to those who donate, whether one-off or as part of a subscription, and to everyone else who contributes here with monetary and/or non-monetary support. I read and treasure every affirmation on this blog, especially those comments which note when a post has meaningfully affected them or afforded them particular pleasure. I appreciate every time a commenter checks hir privilege at the door, and encourages others to do the same. And I hold the deepest love and appreciation for our moderating team and contributing writers, all of whom I consider dear friends and colleagues in activism.
I am deeply grateful to everyone who contributes to this board, and I do not take a single comment nor the smallest donation for granted. I could not continue my work without your collective support, and this community is literally built on your active participation in this space. Thank you.
[Please note: I am not seeking suggestions on how to raise revenue in this space. And I want to repeat that I do not want anyone to feel obligated to donate if money is tight. There are numerous other non-monetary ways to contribute to this blog, should you feel moved to support this space. Thank you.]


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The 6 Most Overly-Hyped Products
See which buzzed-about beauty products our readers say aren't worthy of the praise they garner
Next: See what our readers have to say
SEE NEXT PAGE: The Truth According to TotalBeauty.com Reviewers:
Older comments
I have tried all off these products. While I would agree on 6 of them, I simply can not agree with Bare Minerals. I started using it almost 8 years ago. With the price, I have tried 3 other very popular foundations (both liquid and powder) but always find my way back to BM. I think the biggest thing for people to remember is that everyone's skin is so different. Just because it works for me, does not mean that it will work for you. I HAVE to use the BM Oil Control Primer with it while my sister needs no primer and my mom needs the original primer. We all use BM but in different ways because we have different needs. The most important thing I have learned is to always purchase a new product from an actual BM boutique, not Ulta or Sephora. They will let you exchange or return any product that isn't working without any problems. They will try to help you find something else that will work for you but they won't push. Not everything works for everyone and that actually understand this concept. Also, they now have 3 different forms of foundation: Original ("luminous"), Matte, and now READY (pressed). Also, the different brushes really do give you different coverage so find the one that is right for YOU.
by bride040612 Saturday, January 26, 2013 at 04:40PM Report as inappropriate
Maybelline was one that I ran out and got, and was SOOOOOO let down, I would rather wear no mascara at all.
by MissPurple Friday, January 25, 2013 at 12:43PM Report as inappropriate
A good mix of products. I too always wondered why Maybelline Great Lash mascara had such a great reputation. When I tried it myself, it was not to my liking at all.
by inthemiddles Tuesday, January 8, 2013 at 07:21PM Report as inappropriate
I agree with the products here, but I believe you have forgotten one product that 'everybody' loves, yet I despise. The culprit here is OPI nail polish. Yes they have nice colours,witty names, a nice brush, blah, blah, blah, but I had chips on my nail within 24 hours! When used with top coat, chips within 48 hours!I don't cheap out on nail polish either, considering my favourite brand is China Glaze, which is only $3 cheaper. For me, OPI is only good for a small amounts of colour needed for an intricate nail design. God forbid if my opinion may be different than anyone else's.
by nailaddict19 Friday, April 6, 2012 at 11:24AM Report as inappropriate
This is so true! I have been fooled on almost all of these products lol! Proactiv and bare minerals continue to be the biggest rip-offs on the market and I will stop at nothing to get the word out about those two products because they are HORRIBLE!
by Alisunshine Tuesday, March 27, 2012 at 11:04AM Report as inappropriate
What's really funny is this article bashes LashBlast, but I'm reading another Total Beauty article at the same time that swears it's a steal for DiorShow. Make up your mind (I love LashBlast).
by VV001 Sunday, March 18, 2012 at 01:42PM Report as inappropriate
I like the hope in the jar. However I like the one that's for sensitive skin. that one rocks plus it doesn't have the awful smell
by Nayeli11 Friday, February 17, 2012 at 11:54AM Report as inappropriate
Smashbox primer is WAY too expensive. I get the same effect by using, of all things, Monistat anti-chafing gel as a makeup primer! Both mascaras mentioned are lame, bare minerals makeup is awful, and the combo of chemicals will burn the top layers of your skin right off! I do like Philosophy Hope in a Jar though. I only use it as a night cream in the winter.
by queeniemeanie Thursday, February 16, 2012 at 04:38AM Report as inappropriate
There were a few of these I almost tried, now I'm super glad I didn't!
by sportimonki13 Sunday, January 1, 2012 at 03:21PM Report as inappropriate
The Great Lash is not that bad! I like it. I also bought the LashBlast but I haven't tried it yet.
by MissXu Wednesday, December 21, 2011 at 05:39PM Report as inappropriate


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The Santa Fe Sport provides seating for five and can be ordered with front- or all-wheel drive. A 185-hp 2.4-liter four cylinder engine, or a 240-hp 2.0-liter turbocharged four cylinder sends power to the wheels through a six-speed automatic transmission with SHIFTRONIC. Standard safety features include seven airbags, anti-lock brakes with brake assist, electronic stability control with traction control, and a tire pressure monitoring system. Available features include Blue Link telematics, HID headlights, 19-inch alloy wheels, power heated and ventilated leather seats, heated steering wheel, navigation system, and a panoramic sunroof.
The Santa Fe Sport is a carry-over for 2018.


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I am so proud to announce that a good friend of mine has, T Michelle Nelson, written a novel! Please take a moment and read the excerpt posted below. And don't forget to enter the Rafflecopter giveaway for a chance to win paperback or ebook copies. Enter at: https://www.facebook.
And please support a great writer and friend of your humble and horrible host, Dead Doug!!
"Fans of Charlaine Harris and TRUE BLOOD will find much to enjoy in Michelle Nelson's cracking, sanguine debut. Dark, funny, audacious and written with a confidence that belies this as her first effort, LIFE AND DEATH OF LILY DRAKE dispenses with the idea that vampires are pasty, maudlin, emo-types and restores them to all their brutal bloodthirsty glory. And in terms of heroines to root for, I daresay Lily Drake gives poor 'ol Sookie a run for her money."
– Kealan Patrick Burke, Bram Stoker Award-Winning author of THE TURTLE BOY and KIN.
For Lily Drake, slaying vampires is easy…
Dating them is the hard part.
Lily Drake is your everyday hard-working single mom…until a gorgeous vampire shows up on her front door who she mistakenly assumes is her blind date for the evening. As one crazy scenario after another unfolds, Lily finds herself falling in love with two vampires, slaying the evil ones, and being prophesied as the savior of the entire undead race. Deciding between pizza and Chinese take-out will no longer be one of the hard decisions facing Lily Drake once she is immersed into vampire society. Humanity or immortality? That doesn't hold a candle against this question – which of the two handsome vampire cousins? The Life and Death of Lily Drake is not your typical vampire love story. It's a tale about the humorous mistakes a woman makes simply trying to survive not only life, but the dating scene. How will Lily manage working full-time, taking care of her young son and fighting the undead at every turn? Lily will have to figure it out, but who better to save the world than a mom?
Buy the book now at Inkspell Publishing Store and enjoy a special EXCLUSIVE 30% discount! Offer valid only till 30th Sep!
Also, available at Amazon, Barnes & Noble, and The Book Depository amongst others.
As his mouth covered her neck, she noticed one of those sharp canines brush against her flesh, making her jump. Mathias immediately stopped, realizing what had spooked her.
"I'm sorry. Don't be scared."
Reaching her hand toward his mouth, she asked, "Can I touch them?"
He opened his mouth and Lily tapped her index finger on one of the elongated teeth. It felt so real. She rubbed her finger up and down it to try to find a fissure between his real tooth and the cap. The edges of his mouth were twisted up in a smile. Mathias realized she had been checking the authenticity of his fang, and he quickly bit down over the tip of her finger, lightly sucking it.
Lily giggled at his playfulness and the rush she got from the unexpected action. Damn her luck. She'd finally found a handsome, rich man, a great kisser, and she'd maced him, kneed him in the groin, stabbed him, and then found out he was either certifiably insane—or not human.
Lily was amazed the thought even went through her head. Not human? She must have lost her mind. Not only had she been sitting around with a group of insane people, she had also goaded them into acting as though she believed they were vampires. Instead of politely leaving and refusing their "offer," Lily had made out with the crazy, hunky one. Maybe if she got out more she might not be tempted to hook up with fruitcakes.
The irrational side of Lily wanted to believe them. She couldn't explain everything she had seen. They knew about her family, things you couldn't just look up. If everything she had seen was illusion, Mathias had to be the world's best magician. It seemed impossible for that many people to be afflicted with the same delusion, yet somehow they were. Science had never been Lily's strongest subject, but her rational mind took over, telling her all she'd experienced had been a lovely but deranged fantasy. Before she could fall back under Mathias's spell and risk believing in these beautiful delusions, she asked to go back inside. The mental instabilities seemed to be contagious around the mansion, and left alone with Mathias she'd probably never care if she became infected.
Tags: Mad Ravings, Wicked Words


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|The Lives of Lee Miller DVD
|Titled THE LIVES OF LEE MILLER, this 55 minute documentary made for British Channel 4 in the 80's features interviews with David E Scherman, John Phillips, John Houseman, Erik and Mafy Miller, Patsy Murray and Antony Penrose. It also contains contemporary footage as well as including an extract from Jean Cocteau's 1930 film The Blood of a Poet which starred Lee Miller. Available as - Zone 2 Disc: Suitable for Europe (except Russia, Ukraine & Belarus), Middle East, Egypt, Japan, South Africa, Swaziland, Lesotho and Greenland. Zone 1 Disc: USA, USA territories & Canada


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This has all been a bit surreal for me. The logo makes the designing a bit more real. When I started this blog, I never would have imagined I would have made the friends I've made, had the opportunities I have had, or start on a new adventure of designing! Thank you all so much!
If you need any graphic design work done, I highly recommend contacting Jill at Jill Zielinski Designs. She was so fun to work with, has made this process easy for me, and captured what I wanted perfectly! Thank you Jill!
Happy New Logo Day!
xoxo Irishgirlieknits


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A Christian apologetics ministry dedicated to demonstrating the historical reliability of the Bible through archaeological and biblical research.
For over a century most scholars have been agreed that the village of Beitin, north of Jerusalem, is the site of biblical Bethel. A large quantity of literature has been published based on this assumption. With such careful and painstaking work, much of it basic to an understanding of Palestinian archaeology and history, it hardly seems possible that Beitin may not actually be Bethel after all. Nevertheless, that is what we purpose...
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I found myself thinking of this on the brink of sadness, yet laughter sometimes escapes me. I do not even know what I am feeling anymore or how mixed feelings can get.. It causes a sort of confusion because you cannot tell the truth of feeling from the other. Perhaps they can both be felt at the same times, it feels like being trapped between two completely different worlds and realities.. Is it actually possible that purgatory could only be restricted to the mind? Perhaps that is heaven and hell... The optimistic and pessimistic approaches to life.
I never write in psychology and mind to get sympathy or to cry like a whiney child, It is perhaps always better to find others who relate to assure you of what is possible, the only fix to the human mind is through recording what approaches it, so that those in the future may know what your strengths and struggles are, there is no living thing here without it's own set of problems.. So I write to record the possibilities and perspective so that other generations may look back and understand the mindset of decision making in this time, at least a fraction of it. Every bit helps.
It is much more potent for the future children to see an attempt made than a life lived ridiculously.


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The Shizzle Voodoo Hot Jerk Marinade
If you're seeking bold island flavor this is it. The Shizzle is a unique and all natural pineapple based marinade with an intense combination of traditional jerk spices & authentic Caribbean heat. Other ingredients include soy sauce, habaneros, extra virgin olive oil, garlic, cane sugar & sea salt. Marinate chicken shrimp or pork up tp 24 hours and grill or bake.
Happy H'eating!
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You can also receive a catalog from us by giving us a call at, 336 596 0454.
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Calculations are the heart of your engineering information. You and your team must be able to find, reuse, and share this important intellectual property.
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The7 v4.1.2 — Responsive Multi-Purpose WordPress Theme
Demo: https://themeforest.net/item/the7-responsive-multipurpose-wordpress-theme/5556590
|Last Update
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|ThemeForest Files Included
|Layered PSD, PHP Files, CSS Files, JS Files, PSD
|Well Documented
|business, corporate, creative, custom layout, customizable, fluid, ios, mobile, parallax stripes, photography, portfolio, seo, striped backgrounds
The7 v4.1.2 — Responsive Multi-Purpose WordPress Theme
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It's our way of surviving and your way of supporting us.
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Default Template
Albums – justified grid
Albums – masonry & grid
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Need some help?
Faced a problem? No worries – our premium class customer support service is always ready to help you.
Support requests are being processed on business days from 8:00 to 17:00 (GMT 0.0) [normally] within 24-48h in the order they were received.
Please note that the fastest way to obtain support is to submit a request via our online Help Desk: http://support.dream-theme.com/. Requests received via ThemeForest comments and personal messages, email, Twitter or FaceBook will take much longer time to process or can be not addressed at all!
Theme Evolution
v.4.1.2 (Nov 8, 2016)
1. Demo content for main demo updated; new slider added. 2. Fixed: Blog masonry shortcode pagination bug. 3. Fixed: bug in a microsite menu. 4. Fixed: Safari mobile; if logo is too wide, only 2 lines show up in mobile menu. 5. Fixed: Pinterest button not working. 6. Improved: Beautiful Loading is not 100% JavaScript (not jQuery). Other minor fixes. Bundled plugins updated to newest versions.