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When you spend your days thinking about tech, you develop very strong feelings about gadgets. Here, four Slate technology writers reveal the gizmos that drive them batty.
Will Oremus, senior technology writer
I wanted to love the Microsoft Surface line of tablets. The hardware is capable. The kickstand is perfect. The detachable Touch Cover keyboard is brilliant. But oh gawd, the software. It's not just the dearth of apps—in its determination to build a tablet that could do it all, Microsoft built one that does almost nothing easily or intuitively. Menus pop up and slide out from various parts of the screen seemingly at random. Key apps require switching from touchscreen mode to the classic Windows desktop environment. Even simple operations like copy-paste can induce migraines.
When Microsoft launched the Surface 2 and Surface Pro 2, I wondered whether consumers would really want to use their tablets for work. But the far greater problem is that, with Windows 8/Windows RT, just using a Surface feels like work in itself. These problems, of course, are not limited to the Surface: Other Windows-based tablets and mobile devices suffer from them as well. But I'm singling out the Surface because I had such high hopes for it based on the design and the specs. If only Microsoft could build mobile software that lives up to its hardware, the iPad might have had a worthy rival at last.
Speaking of would-be rivals for Apple … I also loathe Samsung Galaxy smartphones. It's a shame that the most popular Android phones are the ones that most grievously muck up Google's elegant operating system with superfluous features and needless distractions. The TouchWiz interface that launched with the Galaxy S4 was the worst offender, with features like "Smart Pause" and "Air View" that would have been pointless even if they worked reliably, which they didn't. Fortunately, Samsung is not stupid, and it appears to have eased off on the counterproductive gimmicks with the release of the new Galaxy S5. Still, I'd take a Moto X or a Nexus 5 any day.
Lily Hay Newman, lead Future Tense blogger
The thing about 3-D TV is that no one wants it. And don't try to tell me that some people must want it. No one wants it. I'm convinced. 3-D TVs came out in force at the 2010 Consumer Electronics Showcase in Las Vegas, but by the end of the year a Nielsen poll of 27,000 people worldwide had shown that there wasn't consumer enthusiasm about buying 3-D TVs. Yet companies like Disney insisted on debuting 3-D channels to show things like sports—and then pulled the plug a few years later. Plus 3-D TV is painful. Twenty-five percent of people feel discomfort from watching 3-D TVs. Technology that's supposed to be all about novelty and fun should not feel uncomfortable to use.
That was about offending my eyes—now let's move on to another pair of sensory organs. You may have ideally-shaped ears, and if so, you will have no idea what I'm talking about. But I hate earbuds. I hate them because they don't fit in my ears. Some won't stay in at all, and the ones that I can actually stuff in there tend to hurt. I use the JVC Marshmallow earbuds just because they're cheap and they pretty much stay put. But they don't have particularly strong sound quality (though it's reasonably good for the price), and even though the part that goes in your ear is squishy, they still make my ears ache after a few hours. The conflict, though, is that over-ear headphones take up too much space in my bag. I don't want to carry them around, especially while traveling, which is exactly when I use headphones the most. I know some people who use earbuds that have an extra wraparound piece of rubber that goes behind your ear for more staying power. They're good for jogging, but they also leave little sore spots where they lean against my ears. You just can't win with me, or my ears, but nonetheless I think manufacturers should try. I can't be the only one having these problems.
David Auerbach, Bitwise columnist
Parents who bemoaned the insipid cackling of Tickle Me Elmo (1996) didn't know just how good they had it. Advances in technology have enabled the little demon to manifest himself in increasingly insidious forms, and one of them is this abomination: Hasbro's Sesame Street Let's Rock Elmo.
This wretched creature makes incessant, self-aggrandizing pleas to be allowed to rock you. He demands to be fetched his instruments, which you, the parent, have no doubt lost. Your child will take Elmo's side that they must be found. Once activated with a push of the button on his foot, he begins one of a handful of songs. The songs are obnoxious metatextual proclamations about how "Elmo's gonna rock"—promises never to be fulfilled. He proclaims his superiority at rocking out and rocking you with a shamelessness that would make R. Kelly blush. Throughout, his robotic arm haplessly thumps on his drum with sepulchral heaviness, always out of rhythm.
But that is not all. After his mechanical maw finally shuts at the end of the song, and just after a precious few seconds of silence, you will hear his banshee-like squeal: "AGAIN! AGAIN!" (You just know some sadistic bastard at Hasbro was behind that one.) And your child will cheerfully oblige and lurch for Elmo's foot switch. The cycle of suffering will restart. That is, until Let's Rock Elmo runs out of batteries, at which point he will abruptly cut off. At this point your child will either break into tears, or will start hammering the foot button so that Elmo stutters like Terminator X at 78 rpm—and you are at the edge of panic. Either your child is traumatized, or you are.
Elmo's Pied Piper-like qualities have been long-known. Your child will begin to sing only with Elmo, not with you. Your child will demand that her foot be pressed before she will sing. Your child will adopt Elmo's fey, lurching delivery of the alphabet. All you can do is hope that in a few years' time, she will abandon Rock Me Elmo for the far more palatable Brutal Ernie and Bert.
Seth Stevenson, Slate contributor
My most loathed gadget is my smartphone—whenever it's ringing. I am done with surprise, unsolicited phone calls. If we have not arranged to talk by phone at a mutually-agreed-upon time, please do not call me. Unless you are one of a handful of beloved people, I will ignore your call, begrudgingly listen to your voicemail, and (in the absence of some pressing reason for us to forge a vocal-aural connection) text you back.


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Former Gay Porn Star Explains How To Fight Same-Sex Attraction
Listen up, Instincters! Your friendly ex-gay, former gay porn star turned Christian activist Joseph Sciambra has some helpful advice on how you can fight that pesky same-sex attraction!
What advice do you have to someone struggling with — and tempted to act out on — same-sex attraction?
Sciambra: To those struggling with same-sex attraction, I would encourage developing their prayer life; their relationship with God. They need to spend much time in prayer, going to daily Mass, and making a weekly Confession.
They also need to have a very good confessor and/or spiritual director.
Instead of acting out on those desires, whether that involves sexual activity with another person or by viewing pornography, they need to excavate their feelings and memories, in order to discover why they have these homosexual desires. This is a very difficult and painful process, but it must be accomplished. Here, they must completely strip themselves of their false pride and stand completely unashamed before the Lord. Because, without exception, every gay man and woman that I ever knew, reluctantly at times, could trace their homosexuality back to some childhood experience.
Got all that, Instincters? For more helpful insight on the evils of homosexuality and how gays are destined for a lifetime of unhappiness and, ya know, Hell, head over to Life Site News for the rest of Sciambra's interview.
(H/T: Queerty)
I actually do this when I have heterosexual feelings.. I figure i have these feelings because of some past experience I had a child.. when.. *holds back tears* when I was in kindergarten.. a little girl showed me her panties and wanted me to play "daddy" I threw a pillow at her and ran... I have never been the same since. Please pray for me my gay brothers.
Sadly to many people judge God and His word by how we act. How can a person compare God to mankind. Its not my place to judge others, that's Gods job. Its my place to love them no matter what. To me people are just people. We all like or dislike different things. this guy is entitled to his thoughts. If you like them fine, if not that's fine to. I'm a man happily married for 17 yrs now. I wish I had some gay friends, I think their incites would enrich my life. Would i ever do anything with another man, I don't know, I never really thought about it. Might be fun don't know. I do believe we all have what it takes to get along if we try hard enough. we are all just people!
I was never abused in life. I had an attraction to other boys when I was a boy. I think female nudity is disgusting. I would love to go the rest of my life. I'm 33 years old never seening another vagina. I will pray for that. I did have fears at a young age that I would be abandoned by my family if they found out I was gay but 2006 age 26 I told my mom she said she didn't care. my sister over heard she doesn't care she said must be huge weight of your shoulders. Dad took it very well as well. I feel really comfortable talking about it. I have even sat down and watched gay films. after I came out I found out that I have a lesbian on my dads side and I found out just this month that my dads nephew who is almost as old as he is just came out to his sister. My Dads dad was born in 1910 My grand mother was pregnant at the same time as her daughters.
Hmm... then how does that explain it for those of us that never had this "childhood experience"?
My first sexual encounter wasn't until I was 16 years of age, with a girl. It was only second base, but it counted.
My second sexual encounter wasn't until I was 22 years of age, with a guy. We went ALL the way!
No regrets!
Amen! I am a gay Christian, and I know I'm going to heaven. I am not going to let some "ex-gay, ex porn star" quack tell me the reason what causes all gay people to be the way we are. He doesn't know me or my history, so he sure can't speak for me. If anything, what he is doing is Un-Christian and DANGEROUS at that.
"Because, without exception, every gay man and woman that I ever knew, reluctantly at times, could trace their homosexuality back to some childhood experience." I traced mine back and it went to being in elementary school really liking the girl who sat down next to me during lunch because she was pretty, smelled nice, her skin felt so soft, and she shared her Hostess snacks with me. Such a traumatic childhood experience O_o

subset: commoncrawl


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Three Men Have Now Accused Topher DiMaggio of Allegedly Raping Them
Porn star Tegan Zayne was the first to discuss his alleged rape experience with fellow actor Topher DiMaggio, which he claims happened the night before they were supposed to film a scene. Now, two more have stepped forward with their own claims.
The second person is a man who is not in the porn industry and is going by the name "Dan" in this situation. He told his story to fellow gay news site Hornet, where he discusses how DiMaggio allegedly raped him back in 2016.
Excerpts from his story include:
Things went by, people left the party, and the next thing I remember is that I am alone with Topher in this place. I don't know if I fell asleep and he woke me up, or how exactly I got into this position, but I was in the bedroom, I wasn't wearing clothes, I was face-down, and he was trying to have sex with me.
And so I remember saying "No, I don't want to do this," and he said, "No, don't worry about it," and that's kind of exactly what he said to Tegan. He was like, "No, it's fine, don't worry about it." He inserted himself inside of me and started to have sex with me.
I said, "Stop, no, this hurts," and he said, "Just don't worry about it. Don't worry about it." And he kept going and going and going and I just remember saying "no, please stop, no, please." And I remember … I could see it and feel it in my head. I could remember where I was, where my body was, the pain, where he was, and then he finished inside me.
And was like … OK, well, what the fuck? I don't know where I am, really. I'm stuck here. And then I woke up the next morning, not really knowing what was happening, sort of putting the pieces together. It wasn't until I left and went home and I showered and I felt the pain and I was like, Holy shit, I need to go see a doctor.
"Dan" went to the hospital and was put on anti-HIV medications for 30 days to prevent potential exposure. He didn't go to the police, however, due to fears of retaliation and not knowing "what this guy was capable of," adding, "I didn't know if he had guns or if he was on drugs."
Now, a third guy has stepped forward with his own claims against DiMaggio, and they spoke exclusively with Str8UpGayPorn about it.
He is identified in this interview as "Bryan", who similar to "Dan" is not involved in the porn industry however the former's friend is who contacted the owner of Str8UpGayPorn regarding the alleged rape.
"Bryan", who is now 33, claimed that the incident happened back when he was 32. His story involves meeting DiMaggio at a club, who he claimed was very physical not only with him but his group of friends who he was with. He claimed DiMaggio started pushing his head down in the middle of the dance floor, but wasn't interested in hooking up with him.
Then, they both went back to a friend's house where "Bryan" alleges DiMaggio got really violent with him in the bathroom, where he pushed his face against the wall. Then, his lip allegedly busted open and he started to taste blood. Similar to what happened with "Dan", he tried to enter "Bryan" after pushing his face into a wall, which he did, but "Bryan" didn't yell for help during but didn't as he wasn't able to push DiMaggio off.
He then left and told his mother, roommate and friends about the alleged experience but just like "Dan"... never went to the police. He also got checked for STD's and HIV, and came back negative.
"Bryan" did say this regarding other people discussing what DiMaggio has allegedly done to them:
"I'm glad that this story has come out, because this is a real issue that other people need to hear about and learn from. I spent months worrying about my own reputation, or how I would look to others if people found out, and I've worried about being hurt all over again. But I think I've learned to think of myself as attractive again, and to love myself again."
Topher DiMaggio was working on an Atlantis cruise for Andrew Christian and he had to be spoken to by security and the owner of Atlantis Events to stop his aggressive behavior. He was going up to guys and sticking his finger in their butts.
To the people on here trying to blame to victims - you are almost a sick thinking rape and abuse is something that doesn't exist. The number of people mentioning what he has done is likely only a fraction of what he has done. Sexual psychopaths exist and Topher DiMaggio is one of them.
Topher Dimaggio is a kind person he would never rape someone and also can someone tell me was charges pressed on him because if thwy were the people that reported bwing "raped" just wanted to o put him out of his busines in making the best gay porn in the world I dont care if he is gay or not they should never accuse such a beutiful,muscular,sexy guy like him.
These allegations are bullshit. You mean to tell me that you allowed a man to shove his thick cock in you and all you could do was say "No, stop, it hurts?" You couldn't have kicked him in the nuts, kicked him off you, beat him the hell up? What kind of a dude lets another guy rape him, even if intoxicated. That he "allowed" Topher to insert himself in him is the wussiest thing I have ever read. I'm supposed to feel sympathetic? HA! Seems to me he was begging for it. For starters, no one told him to go to the party he was at, that was HIS choice. Second, he must have been acting like a little cumdump whore to be in his drunken, drugged up state (nice how he doesn't mention how many lines he had or how many drinks he had). Third, the story reeks of lie. Why would he rape you? Topher is a beautiful, gorgeous guy with a great cock and he picked the drunken slut to fuck? I don't think so, he has more class than that. This story has TOO many holes in it. To the "alleged victims", here's a tip: Start acting like men, not bitchy, whiny women. The "#metoo" bullshit does not include wimps, nor need them.
Don't know about these other stories but he is extremely aggressive, in a very bad way. I don't think he has any empathy. This will hurt him more than it hurts the people around him, eventually. About 9 years ago I was hanging around with a group of friends he was acquainted with when he lived in Houston. We were at a bar standing around talking and he started touching and grabbing me. I didn't like the guy at all so I was telling him to stop and get off me, not in any way that could be perceived as joking or flirting either. While we were standing there in the group in the middle of the bar he grabbed me around the neck (uncomfortably tight - I could barely talk) and stuck his hand down the back of my pants and stuck his finger in me. I was more worried about getting his hand off of my neck. I get that could be fun or flirty if you like guy... but I didn't like him, and he knew I didn't like him. I felt awful after that and went home right away. That's the kind of guy he is - no respect, and willing to go very far to prove that he doesn't respect you and that you know it.
Topher is a rude, vile, horrible person. I had an interaction at a bar where he pushed me out of the way and screamed "move!" to get into his little vip booth instead of saying excuse me like a normal person. Mind you I was sober with plentyyy of room around me and nobody was even in the booth at that moment. I've despised him ever since.
Well ya'll in that "gay" lifestyle. What'd you expect? If you are at those clubs messing around with those people you only have yourself to blame. I mean come off it anyone can see that Topher DiMaggio is violent when on drugs. And all of you go back to his place instead of reporting him to the police? Even that tranny Ts Madison Hinton (Timothy Hinton) knows better than to mess with Topher.
Why do people wait years to report these things to the authorities and expect folks to believe them atleast Tegan told people soon but I watched that scene and from what he was saying he had a huge crush on Topher Dimaggio .Topher is cute other than that I don't know him ,never met him or anything .So what Teman is doing is defamatory. No I've never been raped but I've been abused and I know abuse is abuse I have to live with the scars daily.
I got rape by him a year ago when he was in LA he offer me a drink at the abbey and then I don't remember more :-( I woke up at a hotel he was getting me naked. I couldn't really fight back I was kinda drunk n whatever was on that drink I was feeling confuse next thing he forced me to take his cock I remember I was bleeding after n in pain
Can honestly say the same thing about all these women making the claims of being raped because don't forget, a lot of these women waited YEARS after the 'rape' happened to finally say something. And with the statute of limitations, it's pretty stupid to wait. A few weeks or a month i can understand but not YEARS. If it happens to you, you say something immediately. Don't wait. I'm a prior victim so i said something a few days after it happened. Honestly, it's pretty pathetic that people going to Hollywood will endure that kind of behavior just for the sake of a fu**ing acting career?
I was brutally raped and left for dead when i was in the U.S. Navy back in 1986 and i did not report it out of feer and embarrassment. For years i blamed myself and part of me still does even after over two years of counselings. It took me until 2015 to finally seek help for the nightmares and other symptoms that never left me from that trauma. So i fully understand why some people never come forward and live in silent pain. i know i did. So stop judging people if you never walked in their shoes.
Hello Michael Phillips,
I would love to talk with you about what we both went through. I'm not sure how to do this either. If you can please contact me on my F B page Michael Kendrick (Michael Mike Kendrick) I live in Chesterfield, Virginia. It would truly be nice to have someone i can talk to that truly understands.
Mike Kendrick
I have to say I see both sides here. Rape is rape. But the porn star aspect does make me wonder how true these stories are given that the industry produces illusions, it's known to be unscrupulous, in many cases is partnership with organized crime, and so many so called Stars, both gay and straight, male and female, die violent deaths or from overdoses. If these stories are true, bring charges against the guy. If these things have happened, it has to be recent and can be prosecuted.
Interesting the hypocrisy how a woman claiming a man raped her, held her down while she said no, and the crowd goes wild and the man is sent to jail. A man claims another man did the same, and all of the comments here are "why would you turn him down???" "I wish someone would force me down!" "Why did the victim only tell his mother and not go to th police?"
Looks like we still have a ways to go on the gender role inequalities.
Literally no one is saying that. None of the accusations have been tested even a little by the people so eager to report on them. Add to that the insistence on being anonymous AND naming someone else and it's even worse. These victims want the right to say whatever they want about someone else without being questioned, fact-checked, or challenged. The reality is that their stories are crazy and all over the place. When you present such a bad allegation, you have to answer for that.
If topher insisted I couldn't say no, so it wouldn't be possible for him to rape me... but If he was raping me I'd get up and smash something on his head and leave while calling the police so I don't understand how all these victims not one of them walked away if tthey didn't want it. We're they being held down and restrained or overpowered? The line between sex and rape can get blurred during the heat of passion and so when it comes to sex people need to learn that "no" means yes and "NO!!! " Means rape.
If you're not being held down and restrained or incapacitated being pressured into sex is not rape. It's lousy yes, but it's not rape. Honestly I wish someone hot would pressure me into sex. I'm always the one chasing(chasing, not pressuring.) I'd give anything for someone hot to lay ontop of me and hold my arms down keeping me from escape while also demonstrating their strength and dominance over me pressure me into saying yes. Well, I guess that never happens cause I always just say yes :(
Follow Up: This comment was deleted from my post on the original blog:
That's strange, but even stranger was a 32 year old man reporting the rape to his mother in lieu of, say, law enforcement. Also, what mother of a grown adult man (after hearing her son was raped by a stranger and receiving a picture of his split lip) responds "I'm sorry." I have to appreciate the story but these narratives are credibility damaging to the victims more than the perpetrator, a reason I suspect for this insistence upon anonymity. Final thought: was everyone really so into the scene that strangers just met up at some guy's house to party after leaving the club—was it a sex party, and what drugs were involved if so? They need to call the Maury show, because this sounds like pure drama.
A copy of my comments on the original post: The first two allegations described unfortunate encounters but did not suggest a crime had taken place. Felony rape is a serious allegation per se. As the complainant has been afforded anonymity, here are some important questions that must have been asked:
Has DiMaggio been questioned or charged as a criminal suspect in any of these allegations?
There is no official report of what happened. Thankfully, there's also there's no statue of limitations on rape (or they tend to be lengthy in many states.)
Taking pictures of a bruised lip and hopefully other evidence does substantiate the claim—did the timestamp on the photos match the date reported by the victim?
Also, text messages are great evidence, as are outcry witnesses. Did anyone (his mother for example) confirm the timeline?
Is there evidence that substantiates the assailant was in the city when the (alleged) rape took place?
Were the friends contacted? Did they hear the rape in the bathroom? We're they both gone for over 15 minutes?
Were the victim/assailant in same the city when it took place? Most importantly, who reached out to the suspect for comment and did they decline?
I've defended sexual assault allegations between gay men before. The police have always asked the victim why they didn't report. He wasn't a porn star—was he afraid? Embarrassed? Ashamed? Why?
There isn't enough evidence here to imply a pattern YET and the absence of these answers is disconcerting. Otherwise, this is great coverage of an important developing issue. The public needs more information, especially since they have names someone and accused them of a serious crime, and anonymity decries it.
Zachary Sire one of two bloggers who writes for the "str8upgayporn" blog already had a very questionable reputation.
I went to a couple of the articles in question and posted my reservations about whether or not these accusations were true. All were instantly deleted. Other comments which seemed infantile to be frank were left in place.
This leads me to believe that the 'story' is a complete fabrication by Zachary Sire.


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At the beginning of the year, I predicted I'd do something so stupid I'd have to write about it. I knew it was going to happen, I just didn't know it would happen so soon.
This actually took place a few weeks ago, but I thought I'd save it for now, Holy Week. To paraphrase Paul Simon, this is a week of miracles and wonder.
One night after work, I went for a walk. It was one of the first warm nights when the snow was starting to melt. I was coming out of Walgreens, about 10 blocks from home. I decided to cut across a field rather than taking the long way around. Even though the field was full of snow, I had crossed it a couple of days earlier without any problem.
I was about halfway across the field when I realized this was going to be a lot more difficult than I figured. Apparently, it had snowed since my last trip. Instead of ankle-deep, the snow was halfway up my calves. Plus, it had frozen over, making it crunchy on top, but soft underneath. To make matters worse, I was wearing tennis shoes rather than winter boots.
Eventually, I lost my balance and fell, landing on my side. I wasn't really hurt, so I tried to get up. To my surprise, I couldn't. Whenever I pushed down on the snow, the surface gave way. At the same time, the edges of the snow were just firm enough that I was wedged in, preventing me from rolling onto my knees.
I sat there awkwardly, not quite sure what to do. Cold, wet and feeling a little helpless, the only thing I could think of was what the heck I was doing there. Why had I put myself in such a stupid, unnecessary position?
You know that little voice in the back of your head that reassures you everything is going to be all right? Mine kept telling me it honestly didn't know what was going to happen.
I was alone in the dark in the middle of an empty field. Even if someone else was stupid enough to be out, no one could see me. I didn't have my cell phone with me, my tennis shoes kept sticking in the snow, and this is pretty much how a friend of mine died about three years ago.
You hear of freak accidents all the time. As stupid as they may sound, if something happens to you, it happens.
I said a quick, but very sincere, prayer. It wasn't one of those dramatic deals where I promised God if he got me out of this, I'd spend the rest of my life helping lepers or something. Those are kind of pointless. I'm pretty sure God knows how likely you are to keep your part of the bargain. I just made a simple, straightforward plea.
And just like that, everything changed. My confidence came back and I suddenly knew what to do. After a few aborted attempts, I managed to get up and slowly, carefully trudge the rest of the way to the street.
A lot of people won't believe prayer had anything to do with this. They'll say that common sense or whatever took over, and that's fine. They can think what they want. They weren't there. Reading this now, when robins are singing and plants are starting to emerge, it may not seem like a big deal, but it was at the time, at least to me.
Prayer is one of those personal things most people don't like to talk about, like politics, sex, how much money you make, and how much you weigh. Remember the flap when Richard Nixon asked Henry Kissinger to pray with him in the final days of Watergate? I don't know why prayer makes people uncomfortable. Maybe admitting there's a higher power makes them feel vulnerable and not in control, but that's their business.
As far as I'm concerned, anyone can believe whatever they want. I believe in the power of prayer, and I believe that prayer helped me out of what was becoming a bad situation. Maybe nothing bad would have happened. Fortunately, I didn't have to find out. The fact is I pray for a lot of things, and I'm not afraid to admit it.
More than anything else, I'm going to pray that I never put myself in another position where I'll need to pray for help.


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It's bad enough that politicians screw over their constituents. Do they have to screw over the English language, too?
Thanks to sleazy politicos involved in career-breaking sex scandals such as ex-Idaho senator Larry Craig and South Carolina governor Mark Sanford, such previously innocuous phrases as "wide stance" and "hiking the Appalachian Trail" have forever lost their innocence.
Those faux pas, and more, are hilariously spotlighted in "Tail! Spin!" at the New York International Fringe Festival. It's the creation of Mario Correa, a former congress-ional aide and lobbyist who clearly knows the territory well.
The show features five performers delivering mostly deadpan, verbatim recitals of the actual words of such notorious figures as Anthony Weiner (Nate Smith), Mark Foley (Dan Hodapp), Sanford (Mo Rocca) and Craig (Sean Dugan). Former "SNL" regular Rachel Dratch plays the women in the men's lives, and also reprises her riotous Barbara Walters impression. The text — taken entirely from real e-mails, text messages, IMs, press conferences and interviews — scathingly portrays its subjects hoisting themselves on their own verbal petards.
"I'm a fairly wide guy," Craig haplessly explains about his foot wandering over to an adjoining bathroom stall at a Minneapolis airport. His wife, meanwhile, wonders, "I asked myself if I missed something somewhere."
Directed by Dan Knechtges ("Lysistrata Jones"), the show humorously riffs on such things as Weiner's boastful references to his "package" and the Sanford press rep's platitudinous explanations for his boss' bizarre disappearance.
The performers, who frequently double in peripheral roles, are terrific, with Smith especially funny as both the perpetually horny Weiner and a teenage male page who responds to Foley's come-ons with Valley girl-style vocal inflections. Dratch is a hoot as the no-nonsense Jenny Sanford, the exception to the usual politician's wife standing by her man. Her facial expression is priceless when she relates how her husband pathetically asked, "Why can't you just give me permission?" when he wanted to travel to Argentina to see his mistress.
Clearly destined for future theatrical life, the show is also rife with sequel possibilities thanks to the seemingly never-ending stream of politicians incapable of keeping it in their pants.


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SAN FRANCISCO--(BUSINESS WIRE)--DeNA today announces it is acquiring ngmoco, Inc., for up to US$400 million in cash and securities, creating the world's largest mobile social games platform company.
ngmoco's shareholders and employees will receive US$300 million in cash and securities and are entitled to additional consideration, up to a maximum of US$100 million, contingent upon the achievement of certain performance milestones through Dec. 31, 2011.
"In ngmoco and its team we see a lot of the same talent and dynamic traction that we have in the Japanese market, making the merger a perfect fit for us," said Tomoko Namba, founder and CEO, DeNA. "This acquisition cements DeNA's leadership position in the U.S. We're building the largest mobile social gaming platform in the world and populating it with incredible games and services."
Headquartered in San Francisco, and with studios in New York and Portland, ngmoco was founded in 2008 by games industry veterans Neil Young, Bob Stevenson, Alan Yu and Joe Keene. ngmoco's games are played more than 50 million minutes a day and have been downloaded more than 60 million times on Apple's iOS devices, resulting in 20 top 10 applications. The company's Plus+ social network has over 13.5 million registered users, with more than 50 million friend connections and has been installed more than 86 million times. In September, ngmoco announced its commitment to the Android platform with games and services arriving in the fourth quarter.
"We are delighted to be joining forces with DeNA, a company that we have admired and aspired to," said Neil Young, founder and CEO, ngmoco. "The opportunity to be a part of creating the number one social mobile game platform company and to benefit from the unique learning and knowledge that DeNA possesses is an amazing way to accelerate our vision for gaming."
As a wholly owned subsidiary, ngmoco will be responsible for bringing DeNA's "X-Device X-Border" strategy to Western markets by making DeNA's Mobage a global service and platform for games. A key focus for the company is the creation of a unified open developer platform that combines ngmoco's state of the art smartphone technology framework with DeNA's pioneering Mobage Open SDK. The unified Mobage Smartphone Platform will allow developers to target both iOS & Android and access both Western and Japanese customers.
A developer preview of the new global gaming platform will take place in December with further details to be announced.
About DeNA
DeNA was founded in 1999 by Tomoko Namba and has become one of the world's most successful mobile Internet companies with games and community products that reach 100 million consumers spanning mobile and PC platforms. The company's 'DNA' is comprised of great people that share an unrivaled passion for engaging entertainment. We invite big dreamers and game-changers to learn more about us at http://www.denaglobal.com.
About ngmoco
Headquartered in San Francisco, ngmoco was founded in 2008 by games industry veterans committed to the new mobile landscape opened up by Apple's iPhone. ngmoco creates and publishes games for the iPhone and beyond in collaboration with the best and brightest game makers in the world. Founded by Neil Young, Bob Stevenson, Alan Yu and Joe Keene, the company's investors include Kleiner Perkins Caufield & Byers, Maples Investments/FloodGate, Norwest Venture Partners, Institutional Venture Partners & Google Ventures. To witness the lives and minds of the ngmoco team at work on the future of iPhone and iPod touch games, visit http://www.ngmoco.com.
Photos/Multimedia Gallery Available: http://www.businesswire.com/cgi-bin/mmg.cgi?eid=6463892&lang=en


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My Doctor Said *What*?!
So, I was sitting in the doctor's office, answering a billion questions about this and that. "Describe the pain? Sharp? Dull? Stabbing?" blah blah blah The questions were many minutes long and I'd already answered them dozens of times for other doctors, so was in a sort of medical haze of boredom.
Then she says, "So after you have surgery to check for adhesions and lyse them if they are there (something that isn't set in stone yet, by the way), if you still have pelvic pain, do you want a hysterectomy?"
I sat up.
"Excuse me?" This doctor was not a GYN, so it was an especially left-field question.
"Would you consider a hysterectomy?"
"Uh, I don't think so. Why, again?"
"Well, when there's undiagnosed pelvic pain, it's pretty common to do a hysterectomy; that helps sometimes."
I'm sure I snorted/stifled a laugh. "I do not think I want a Let's-Hope-This-Works surgery. No, I want to keep my uterus, thanks."
As I walked out, I couldn't help but picture the game Operation… where the object of the game is to remove body parts without hitting the edges of the open incision. Was I the game's patient? Was someone the scorekeeper, checking off body parts as they were excised from my body? Was the goal to keep removing things until I felt better?
I think not.


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Foreigner Tests Chinese Locals on Their Chinese
- published: 05 Apr 2017
- views: 2198752
My buddy Jayme has been living here for nine years, and one of his favorite things to do is test Chinese people on their Chinese language skills. Today, we\'re on the super busy Nanjing Road in Shanghai, putting Chinese locals to the ultimate test! Support me on Patreon @ https://patreon.com/monkeyabroad Make a one-time donation @ paypal.me/monkeyabroad My Bitcoin address: 1CZwd1BtzK4bP14rNy2X5sMupv1bpWr8mM Follow Jayme: Weibo @英國的羅思傑 Insta @JaymeLawman Follow Monkey Abroad: Blog - http://monkeyabroad.com Facebook - http://facebook.com/monkeyabroad Insta - http://instagram.com/monkeyabroad 微信号:monkeyabroad123 微博:kevin大厨子 Music: Kevin Macleod (incompetech.com)...


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Looking Out....................
Environment includes the physical factors of the surroundings of human beings including land, water, atmosphere, climate, sound, odour, taste, the biological factors of animals and plants and the social factor of aesthetics and includes both the natural and the built environment;
EIA is part of the project development process and is usually done at the initial stages of the project development. It is a decision making tool and should guide whether a project should be implemented, abandoned or modified prior to implementation.
EIA as a legal requirement:Any person, being a proponent of a project, shall, before financing, commencing, proceeding with, implementing,executing or conducting or causing to be financed, commenced, proceeded with, carried out, executed or conducted by another person any undertaking specified in the Second Schedule of EMCA, submit an Environmental Impact Assessment Project Report to the National Environment Management Authority(NEMA), in the prescribed form, giving the prescribed information and which shall be accompanied by the prescribed fee.
No licensing authority under any law in force in Kenya shall issue a trading, commercial or development permit or license for any project for which an EIA is required or for a project/ activity likely to have a cumulative significant negative environmental impacts unless the applicant produces an EIA license issued by the authority.
It is a legal requirement.When you submit an Environmental Impact Assessment to NEMA, they review it and either reject your proposal, direct undertaking of a full study or approve your project subject to some conditions.When approved NEMA issues the project proponent with an Environmental Impact Assessment License which gives authority to the project proponent to carry out their proposal.Without such a license it is an offence to carry on with developing your project.
The Environmental Management and Co-ordination Act(EMCA), 1999 is an ACT of Parliament that provides an appropriate legal and institutional framework for the management of the environment and for the matters connected therewith and incidental thereto
An Environmental Impact Assessment(EIA) means a systematic examination conducted to determine whether or not a programme, activity or project will have any adverse impacts on the environment.An EIA identifies both negative and positive impacts of any development activity or project, how it affects people, their property and the biological environment.It also identifies the measures to mitigate the negative impacts while maximizing on the positive ones.
An Environmental Audit means the systematic, documented, periodic and objective evaluation of how well environmental organisation, management and equipment are performing in conserving or preserving the environment.
Tehilla Firm of Experts charge consultancy fees to prepare EIA Project Reports depending on the nature and scope of project.We undertake a Environmental Project Assessment to assess and evaluate our consultancy charges,which are very modest .NEMA charges a submission fee equivalent to 0.05% of the cost of the project, minimum being Kshs. 10,000.00.
The Director-General of NEMA responds to the applications for environmental impact assessment licence within six months. Any person who upon submitting his application does not receive any communication from the Director-General within the stipulated time may within nine months of such submission start his undertaking.
NEMA can, on the advice of the Standards and Enforcement Review Committee, cancel, revoke or suspend any environmental impact assessment licence for such time not exceeding twenty four months where the licensee contravenes the provisions of the licence. Whenever an environmental impact assessment licence is revoked, suspended or cancelled, the holder thereof shall not proceed with the project which is the subject of the licence until a new licence is issued by NEMA.
Step 1: The developer initiates the project proposal
Step 2: EIA expert commissioned to prepare EIA report
Step 3: EIA expert seeks public views and prepares EIA report
Step 4: EIA expert submits the EIA Report to NEMA together with submission fee of 0.1% of total project cost.
Step 5: NEMA publishes notices in the daily press soliciting public comments or views
Step 6: NEMA circulates reports to lead agencies
Step 7: NEMA communicates approval with or without conditions or rejection to the developer
Step 8: NEMA carries out field inspection to ascertain conformity or adherence to conditions
Step 9: NEMA issues a licence to the developer or directs otherwise where conditions are not met
Environmental Impact Assessment/Audits studies and reports required under EMCA are conducted or prepared respectively by individual experts or a firm of experts authorised by NEMA. NEMA maintains a register of all individual experts and firms of experts duly authorized by it to conduct or prepare environmental impact assessment studies and reports respectively. The register is a public document and may be inspected at reasonable hours by any person on the payment of a prescribed fee.Tehilla Company Limited is a NEMA Registered Firm of Experts, Redg.No: 2996.
An environmental impact assessment licence may be transferred by the holder to another person only in respect of the project in relation to which such licence was issued. Where an environmental impact assessment licence is transferred , the person to whom it is transferred and the person transferring it shall jointly notify the Director-General of NEMA in writing of the transfer, not later than thirty days after the transfer.
Projects specified in the Second Schedule of the Environmental Management and Coordination Act,(EMCA) 1999 which include; Urban development, transportation, quarrying and mining,water resources, agriculture,processing and manufacturing industries, waste disposal, natural conservation, electrical infrastructure, etc.
Depending on the nature and scope of a project, it takes Tehilla Firm of Experts at least one week and at most 3 months to prepare an Environmental Impact Assessment Project Report.
The proponent of a project shall undertake or cause to be undertaken at his own expense an environmental impact assessment full study and prepare a report thereof where NEMA being satisfied, after studying the EIA project report submitted that the intended project may or is likely to have or will have a significant impact on the environment.
NEMA is responsible for carrying out environmental audit of all activities that are likely to have significant effect on the environment. An environmental inspector appointed under EMCA may enter any land or premises for the purposes of determining how far the activities carried out on that land or premises conform with the statements made in the environmental impact assessment study report issued in respect of that land or those premises . The owner of the premises or the operator of a project for which an environmental impact assessment study report has been made shall keep accurate records and make annual reports to NEMA describing how far the project conforms in operation with the statements made in the environmental impact assessment study report submitted.


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The House reduced by half the number of new public housing units proposed as part of the Department of Housing and Urban Development's fiscal 1986 budget. The vote was 213 for and 204 against. The action cut the number of new units from 10,000 to 5,000, the same number financed in fiscal 1985. This sliced $990 million from the proposed HUD appropriation, which later was set at $14.9 billion.
The appropriations bill (HR 3038) was sent to the Senate.
Supporter Toby Roth (R-Wis.) said: "We have got too many 'yes but-ers' in this body," lawmakers who say, 'I am concerned about the deficit but not on this bill.' "
Opponent Edward Boland (D-Mass.) said: "I have been dealing with these housing programs now for some 30 years or better, and . . . in my judgment this is one of the most important housing programs to deal with the problems of the poor."
Members voting yes wanted to cut the fiscal 1986 appropriation for new public housing by $990 million.
How They Voted Yea Nay No vote Rep. Dornan (R) x Rep. Dreier (R) x Rep. Dymally (D) x Rep. Hawkins (D) x Rep. Martinez (D) x Rep. Torres (D) x


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Live Competition Scheduled for Friday, May 24 @ 7 p.m. Local Bands Invited to Submit YouTube Auditions by May 2 Saratoga Springs, N.Y. - Rising rock stars in the Capital Region and beyond will have the opportunity to showcase their talents and compete for valuable prize packages on Friday, May 24 at 7 P.M. at Saratoga Performing Arts Center's Fourth Annual Battle of the Bands, presented by WEQX and The Recording Company. One of the region's most popular music competitions, this year's event will feature two winners: a "judge's choice" and "audience favorite." Interested bands have until May 2 to submit online entry forms and YouTube video auditions of original music at spac.org; ten finalists will be chosen to compete at the May 24th event at the Spa Little Theatre. "The Capital Region is fortunate to have an abundance of innovative, talented musicians and bands which we are proud to showcase each year at SPAC's Battle of the Bands competition," said Marcia J. White, SPAC's President & Executive Director. "Like last year, we anticipate that thousands will participate in this event in some way, either as contestants, online voters, or audience members. It will be a great, high-energy kick-off to our season." New this year, two winners will be selected at the live competition; one by the judges and the other by the audience. The judges' selection will win 25 hours of studio recording time at The Recording Company, airplay on northeast radio station WEQX and custom t-shirts and merchandise from Saratoga Statement. The audience favorite will have the opportunity to perform live at a SPAC event. The format of SPAC's Battle of the Bands is unique in that it allows the public to participate in the audition process. From May 3 - 8, the public will have the opportunity to view audition videos and vote for their favorite band. The band receiving the most public votes receives one of the 10 finalist spots; the remaining nine finalists are chosen by a selection committee. The top finishers of last year's Battle of the Bands were ten-piece party band CRUSH, which took first place, followed by rock, alternative group VONTUS and the eclectic four-piece band, The Dependents. "For the artists, Battle of the Bands represents an opportunity to stand on the same stage where music legends have performed. We are looking forward to seeing who will fill those shoes," White concluded. THE SCHEDULE MAY 2 - SUBMISSION DEADLINE Bands wishing to participate must submit online applications and YouTube video auditions to spac.org by 11:59 P.M. EST Thursday, May 2. Only videos with original music will be accepted. MAY 3 - 8: ONLINE VOTING The public will have the opportunity to view the audition videos at spac.org and vote for their favorite band. The other nine finalists will be chosen by a SPAC selection committee. MAY 10: FINALISTS ANNOUNCED Ten finalist bands will be announced on May 10 on SPAC's Facebook page and at spac.org. MAY 24: LIVE COMPETITION at SPA LITTLE THEATRE Finalists will have 10 minutes to perform for a live audience and a panel of celebrity judges at the Spa Little Theatre. The event is run "American Idol"-style with 3 celebrity judges reviewing the performance of each band following their time slot. Bands will be evaluated and the two winners will be chosen, one based on the judges' selection, and the other based on audience response. More information on Battle of the Bands is available on SPAC's website at http://www.spac.org/.
Contact: Shane Williams-Ness, 518.584.9330 x 116 M:518.378.0295 email@example.com Lisa Hill, 518.584.9330 x 119 M:518.496.2882 email@example.com; http://www.spac.org/


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The newest member of the Blackhawks family was born early Tuesday, to defenseman Duncan Keith and his wife: Colton Duncan Keith (7 pounds, 7 ounces).
Good, strong name. And far be it for us to attempt to wield influence on what the Keiths should name their offspring ... actually, it's fun, so that's what we're gonna do. Maybe they'll change their minds.
So presenting, RedEye's top 10 names for Duncan Keith's son--with help from our Twitter followers.
10. Anything but Raffi
He knows what he did.
9. Anything to which you can seamlessly add "er" or "y"
Assuming the kid's gonna be a hockey player, which is likely, this is a great
8. Toby
Get it? A country music joke from @allday427. Good stuff.
7. Stanley Norris
Ah, two trophies near and dear to his daddy's heart (via @19JToews).
6. Xanax
Because it's different. And because Daddy's gonna need a lot of sleep in the near future.
5. Winnston
With the extra "n" to honor his hometown of Winnipeg. Classy.
4. Stache
It's different, and he'll forever be on Joel Quenneville's good side. Then maybe Coach will give him a rest once in while.
3. Captain
Ya know, just to mess with Jonathan Toews. Totally worth it.
2. Puck
It's a reference to hockey AND Shakespeare. Who says hockey players can't be poetic?!
1. Molar
"You see, son, this one game in the 2010 playoffs ..."
Want more? Discuss this article and others on RedEye Sports' Facebook page.


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Stack Bundles - Temper Temper (R.I.P Raquan "Stack Bundles" Elliot) (1 Year Anniversary) [October 21, 1982 - June 11, 2007]
A year ago Stack Bundles was murdered. He was next to blow and take New York back to the top. WSHH would like to remember his legacy. Legends never die. You will always be missed. R.I.P. STACK BUNDLES
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So busy with the daily routine there.....hee hee! ...Yep...chatting....we talk and talk from morning till the sun goes down....just imagine...i almost lost my voice. Ha ha! And of course not to forget....EATING! Thats the most enjoying part. Besides cooking and baking at home, we went buffet dinner the 1st day, then buffet brunch for the following day...hmm, don't dare to weigh myself now...haha!
We have been baking all the old recipes for our parents and friends there. So busy in the kitchen almost everyday. But really enjoy it, especially when you have company.
Today, we are back...."home-sweet-home", quiet and relax....laying down on my lazy chair with a cup of ice cream...yum yum...:p..Ya ya, don't remind me about the calories...just eat larr...haha!
I've made this strawberry ice cream last week before i left home. Kept in my freezer until today, without trying. Well, its the first ice cream i ever make. Its not as smooth as those selling outside, but i'm quite satisfy with it. Even my daughter love it! Kids ha...always tempting for ice creams.
Maybe next time will try some other flavours, such as chocolate or vanilla...That's my favourite..hee hee..:)
Btw, here's the recipe for my reference.....
400g Evaporated milk
200g Double cream
200g Fresh milk
100g Icing sugar ( May add more if you like sweeter)
3 drops Strawberry flavour
50g Dried strawberries or fresh strawberries (optional)-chunks
~ Mix well all the ingredients in a big bowl
~ Then keep in the freezer for 2 hours
~ Take out the mixture after 2 hours, and whip with the mixer until its double the volume at high speed. ( This takes about 10 minutes)
~ Pour in an airtight container and freeze at least half a day.


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Skip to comments.Gates to troops: Yes, youll get paid in a govt shutdown for a week
Posted on 04/07/2011 9:41:32 AM PDT by Nachum
ABC News reports this morning that Defense Secretary Robert Gates met with troops in Baghdad this morning, in part to discuss their concerns over a government shutdown. After joking that the best policy is to make sure the folks with the guns get paid first, Gates then told the men and women on the front lines that they neednt worry. After studying the issue, Gates says they will get paid if the budget runs out tomorrow for a week:
Speaking to a group of 200 soldiers in Baghdad, Defense Secretary Gates drew Army cheers of Hooah from the crowd when he eased their concerns about the government shutdown and said first of all, let me say you will be paid.
Gatess comment came during a question and answer session when one of the soldiers about how the government shutdown might affect them. He then joked, as a historian it always occurred to me the smart thing for government was always to pay the guys with guns first.
Turning serious he explained to them how if there is a government shutdown, days the troops in the field would get half a paycheck for this pay period, but get back pay in the future.
(Excerpt) Read more at hotair.com ...
The list, ping
Let me know if you would like to be on or off the ping list
For a week?! That'll help morale. ~sarc
They are ALL nothing but shills and political animals for the clueless, fascist, Dear Leader who is using our brave Warriors as pawns in this matter, not to mention, ALL are personally responsible for implementing and enforcing the IDIOTIC and DEADLY "Rules of Engagement!"
It is time to bring em' all home, NOW!!!
Washington D.C. is the new Rome.
Watch for our unpaid military to come home and "cross the Tiber"
From my experience, yes they will be paid.....eventually.
This creates a severe cash flow problem for military families, as they are paid on a monthly basis!
What a moron. If the dems let the bill come up to make sure military pay is not delayed there would not be an issue. But then they can't say "Republicans hate the military."
The military will get paid when an appropriations bill is signed by the President.
In the article it explained they really won't get paid...the "for a week" part only means that before the shutdown there was a week on the books for the next payday.
The problem with the shutdown, IMO, is the press. If this is twisted and turned and laid at the feet of the GOP (which you know they will try to do)...bad news all around because people just believe what they hear and they'll think it's the GOP denying the troops their pay.
Shut it Down!
It's much, much worse.
Are you a drunk and can't get a job because you opted to drink yourself into a stupor instead? No problem .... YOUR check will continue unabated.
On Welfare, because you are simply too good to have to work? Don't worry; your SSI check will be on time, and for the full amount. No need to cancel any of your plans.
Are you in for the Military? Civil Servant supporting our troops on a military base? Are you a Service Man putting your life on the line for your country? ..... Well, this could impact YOU
Actually, service members are paid on the 1st and 15th of each month. Otherwise, good point. Many military and their families (like many other Americans) live paycheck to paycheck.
Please correct me if I am wrong (heaven knows I have been wrong once or twice before) but isn't the option to pay or not pay the military in a government shut down the CHOICE of the President only?
how about congress and staff skipping paychecks for a couple of years because they are so dedicated to this country and seeing it survive
Indeed. Famous advice from one (dying)Roman Emperor to his son: "First, pay the soldiers."
It is time to bring em' all home, NOW!!!
We are 'accomplishing' nothing in any of the places we are currently engaged. The only thing we have done since Bush 41, is to stop the Muslims from killing each other. 9/11 is over and I cannot point to a single thing to say, "There! We paid them back!"
But for US jumping in the middle of every Muslim skirmish in the world, they would be well on their way to killing each other off by now. And what's wrong with that?
Muslims don't have, "Rules of Engagement". Their only rule is to kill, any way, any body, and any time they can.
If we have a GOAL in all this, then what is it?
If we have a GOAL, then let's do it and get the hell out of there.
If we do not have a defined GOAL, then why are we there?
If we are not 'playing to WIN', then why play at all.
Pray for our troops. They need it now and always.
They told us the same thing in the last shutdown in the mid 90's. The Battalion commander had all the batteries come for formation before PT and informed us we will continue to get paid.
Samuel Adams: If ye love wealth better than liberty, the tranquility of servitude better than the animating contest of freedom, go home from us in peace. We ask not your counsels or your arms. Crouch down and lick the hands which feed you. May your chains set lightly upon you, and may posterity forget that you were our countrymen.
Disclaimer: Opinions posted on Free Republic are those of the individual posters and do not necessarily represent the opinion of Free Republic or its management. All materials posted herein are protected by copyright law and the exemption for fair use of copyrighted works.


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Sturm, Ruger & Co., Inc. is one of the nation's leading manufacturers of rugged, reliable firearms for the commercial sporting market. As a full-line manufacturer of American-made firearms, Ruger offers consumers over 600 variations of more than 40 product lines, from the ubiquitous 10/22® and Mini-14®, to the new and exciting PC Carbine™, Security-9®, EC9s®, Ruger Precision® Rimfire, LCP® II, Mark IV™, Ruger American Pistol® and Ruger Precision® Rifle. Our awarding-winning products (the Ruger® Scout Rifle, LCR® and LCP®) all prove that Ruger has a rugged, reliable firearm to meet every shooter's needs. For more than 60 years, Ruger has been a model of corporate and community responsibility. Our motto, "Arms Makers for Responsible Citizens®," echoes our commitment to these principles as we work hard to deliver quality and innovative firearms.
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Affiliated Societies
AEJMC History Division Invites Nominations for Awards
The history division of the Association for Education in Journalism and Mass Communication invites nominations for the 19th annual competition for the Covert Award in mass communication history. The $500 award will be presented to the the author of the best mass communication history article published in 2002. Book chapters in edited collections. Nominations for the award should be sent by March 1, 2003, to Karen K. List, Journalism Department, 108 Bartlett Hall, Umass, Amherst, MA 01003. The history division of the AEJMC solicits entries also for its annual award for the best journalism and mass communication history book. The winning author will receive a plaque and $500. Entries should be sent by February 1, 2003, to Patrick S. Washburn, AEJMC History Book Award Chair, E. W. Scripps School of Journalism, Ohio University, Athens, OH 45701.
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Well, they had a pit bull before the pug, (who also ran the neighborhood)...but got killed, or given away...I don't remember what Jenn said happened exactly.
And they have 4 VERY young children...and no bank account for treating the last dog (the pug)...after he got sick. These people need stuffed dogs.


text: On Tuesday 26 August 2008 16:38:11 Michael H. Frese wrote: > Vincent, > > I have always said that C++ is computational science's cold fusion: > lots of power in, but no net gain. > > C is not much better. I once worked a young computational programmer > for almost a week to get him to prove to himself that a C source > program couldn't walk through a 2-d array the hard way as fast as a > Fortran source program unless the stepping was coded by hand. He > didn't believe that a 2-d array in C is syntactically a 1-d array of > pointers to 1-d arrays, and the row pointers must be fetched from What for this trouble? Using n-d arrays with malloc is by far more difficult to handle than a 1-d array with wrapper macros/inline-functions calculating the index offset. This way you can also use the fortran array order to be perfectly compatible to existing fortran libraries. > memory! And separate compilation of functions with variable array > dimensions? I hear echoes of Kernighan and Ritchie laughing with > each other "We don't need no steenking libraries with execution-time > array dimensioning! We're system programmers here! Besides, if > somebody needs that they'll use Fortran." Huh? Your function gets a pointer to an array. You can resize this array any time. And please don't tell me, you are using static memory. Bernd


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Earlier this month, the Groundhog predicted 6 more weeks of Winter! Now that we are near the end of February, I guess that leaves us about 4 more weeks of cold weather, snow, and pouring rain. The up side of all the terrible weather is keeping dry and warm with some delicious comfort food. One of my favorite winter treats is lasagna. It is warm and tasty and makes the ice melt outside! This recipe can be made with or without soy meat or cheese. So curl up in your favorite blanket and grub down on some vegan comfort food!
Vegan Lasagna
Prep Time: 30 Minutes Bake Time: 40 Minutes Serves: 8
1 Box of Organic Lasagna Noodles
2 Jars of Organic Pasta Sauce (or homemade sauce)
1 Cup Organic Mushrooms
1 Cup Organic Zucchini
1 Cup Spinach
1/2 Cup of Onions
3 Gloves Garlic
2 Cups Crumbled Organic Tofu
3 Tbls of Nutritional Yeast
3 Tbls of Veggie Broth
6-8 Ounces of Vegan Mozzarella Cheese (Vegan Gourmet or Daiya)
2 Tbls Olive Oil
1 tsp Oregano
1 tsp Basil
1 tsp Pepper
1/2 tsp Salt
10 Ounces Vegan Soy Crumbles (optional)
Preheat the oven to 375 F. In a large pot, boil water with a splash of Olive Oil and salt. Once the water is boiling add in the lasagna noodles and boil until firm but not overcooked. Meanwhile cut up all veggies and in a skillet warm up the olive oil, garlic, and onions. Add in the mushrooms and zucchini. In a large bowl mix together the crumbled tofu, oregano, basil, pepper, salt, Nutritional Yeast. Once this is mixed add in the soy crumble, if choosing to use them. Add this mixture and the spinach to the skillet. Cook for ten minutes or until the veggies are a little soft.
In a casserole dish cover the bottom in pasta sauce and sprinkle vegan cheese. Lay down a layer of lasagna noodles and a thick layer of the skillet mix, followed by a layer of noodles, sauce, and cheese. Make several layers until all ingredients are included. Finish with a layer of pasta sauce, cheese, and a dash of nutritional yeast, oregano, basil, and pepper. Place in oven for 40 minutes. Let it stand for at least 10 minutes before serving.


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Can the Postal Service Deliver the Goods?
The 2013 holiday season turned out to be a particularly eventful one for e-tailers and the shippers that deliver all those packages to your door.
Factors like fewer than average shopping days between Thanksgiving and Christmas and an increasing comfort level with online buying helped push holiday e-commerce up significantly. In fact, demand exceeded expectations and stressed shippers' capacity, causing some late deliveries of their goods.


text:
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A post for some reason
Just for the novelty of it.
As a follow up to my previous post, I ended up buying a 7710 Ford with a cab and 4wd. Loved it until I somehow managed to burn up the transmission whilst mowing hay back in June. It's been in the shop ever since, because every time we think it's fixed, something else screws up. The temptation is getting pretty strong to see how much trade-in I can get on it.
I do hope to have it back in the next few days (now that hay season is over and I don't need it anymore).
Speaking of farming though, I get an amazing amount of Farmville requests on facebook... which I ignore of course. I wonder how much it will piss people off if I were to tell them
"If I want to play farmville, I'll go across the road and get on one of my f%#@^*g tractors"


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Laffy Taffy
Items 1-15 of 16
Items 1-15 of 16
Laffy Taffy and Laffy Taffy Ropes are the ideal choice when you are looking for a kosher taffy for any occasion.
The Laffy Taffy flavor line up features Apple, Banana, Cherry, Fruit Punch, Watermelon and Strawberry. Don't panic if you can't decide because we sell a Laffy Taffy Assortment, as well!
Laffy Taffy Ropes, another kosher taffy favorite, also come in Blue Raspberry, Cherry, Grape, Banana, and Apple.
If you are looking for something a little different, try the Laffy Taffy Bars, satisfying chunks of classic, chewy taffy in Watermelon, Cherry, and Blue Raspberry.
Discover how Laffy Taffy got it's hilarious name and where all the jokes come from on our Laffy Taffy History page here!


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Fraught with Water – The DEP Police v NYC
Here in the NYC watershed, I'm fascinated by the issues of just being in the watershed. They're complex and weird. I mean, NYC has five reservoirs upstate, and in many communities is the largest landowner. In my own community they just argued to get their tax assessment cut, putting a huge strain on the village. People here feel very uncomfortable with the city. And, there seems to be distrust on every side. The city also maintains a police force upstate, which is, I think, the only example of a city having a police force outside its municipal boundaries, but all to protect the water. Of course water isn't simply water but the land and people. And, it gets complex. The police are unhappy, the locals unhappy. My guess? The city is also unhappy. I wrote about some of this in this week's Catskill Mountain News. Or read on:
Living in New York City's watershed, it can be hard to find sympathy for the City's Department of Environmental Protection (DEP) Cops when people have "DEP get off my back" bumper stickers on their cars, the scars of having land taken by eminent domain still seem fresh, and the city is always trying to buck their property tax assessments.
The DEP police are often the agency's most visual representatives – the white cars, the green graphics and uniforms… Then, there's the way the officers can be dismissed as "toy cops" and a "joke" – alongside complaints of "no taxation without representation." To many just having a NYC police force here feels like a colonial power exercising undue influence. But, the DEP police are suffering at the hands of the city as much as – and sometimes more than –others. It's a David and Goliath story (so far David hasn't won either) that entails complex labor law, terrorism, poor morale, an Upstate/Downstate divide and a secret report the DEP will barely even acknowledge exists.
Pay rate is stalled
DEP Police haven't had a pay rise since 2004, and they have been without a contract for seven years, spending the last two of them in arbitration. Now the city has petitioned the state supreme court to get the arbitrator's recommendations thrown out – all because the city doesn't believe it should have to issue a 53-month contract, according to the DEP police union's lawyers.
Meanwhile, during all this time the police have had little recourse to challenge the city. They can't strike because, according to the state, they're police. The city, however, only recognizes them as having civilian status, puzzling, given that the DEP officers carry guns, can arrest people and have had their authority to do this affirmed in the courts.
The force includes divisions like K-9, detectives, marine patrol, aviation and an ESU (a swat team which was deployed in Arkville during the Travis Trimm standoff). Officers have received specialized training at the US Marshalls Academy in Glynco, Georgia, while the force has their own dedicated police academy in Kingston. The one thing the troops are not allowed to do anymore (for those liking to speed on watershed roads): issue traffic tickets.
Lack of power
While potentially popular, one EPO, that is an environmental police officer as the DEP cops are known, says it leaves them powerless.
"They took away our radar units in 2004, even though many of us were still radar certified. By doing that we lost a tool that could be instrumental in making a traffic stop that turns out to reveal a terrorist, or a wanted person," he said.
The city watershed has had a police or security detail since they started building dams. Those officers were and often still are from local families. These are men and women who live here, raise their kids here, spend their money here. The tenor of the force started changing around 2000 with the EPA's enforcing the Clean Water Act and the Filtration Avoidance Determination (FAD).
Many elements of that agreement are familiar to local communities where the city is stipulated to build sewage plants in Catskills' towns and buy up as much land as possible to protect the water quality. All this was a bid to avoid building a costly filtration plant the city says it could never afford. The FAD led to the establishment of the Catskill Watershed Corporation, which helps people pay to replace septic systems and also provides funds to invest in local businesses. There is one other element of the FAD: police. The city promised the EPA a better force to protect the reservoirs. In 2001 meeting this demand changed the force drastically. Officers were now Environmental Police Officers. Their duties and training were increased. Recruits were, for the first time, given a civil service exam and background checks and sent to the police academy. In fact, they were given the exact same exam given to the NYPD recruits and the very same background and financial checks though the DEP police get none of the NYPD's rights or protections.
The officers also had no contract that recognized them as police. They were represented by a civilian union – and the DEP police's current union LEEBA alleges that state and city labor laws were broken. According to state and city statutes, the job reclassification meant the DEP officers had to be compared to other workers in the city doing the same or similar work and get the same or similar pay. The only other police force NYC has? The NYPD. LEEBA's head Kenneth Wynder insists the jobs were never compared, that there was a backroom pact not to. True or not, the officers certainly aren't paid what NYPD is. DEP officers get about half of what NYPD and the state police receive. The DEP force has no pension and suffers from city foot dragging and tactics that might sound familiar to many here. With teams of lawyers in tow, the city has successfully challenged its property tax assessments, wiggling out of paying school tax in upstate towns. Or, in Margaretville, NYC has argued down the assessment for the wastewater treatment plant by half.
To be fair, the DEP force is small and complex, only on average 180-odd officers. Based in Yonkers and New York City and the Catskills, they fall between the cracks of upstate and down, civilian and police – issues that have seemingly given the city the excuse to shove them around and ignore them. The force is largely out of sight in the city where few even know if the DEP is a city or state agency and don't realize it has a police force let alone all this land upstate. And, here people have little sympathy. Even in 2000 the EPA was advising the DEP to have their police force meet with local communities to explain their mandate and ease tensions.
In reporting this, the News approached several NYC agencies including the DEP and the Office of Labor Relations, the agency tasked with negotiating with the police union, for comment. None of them would. The most anyone would say is that they can't comment until the court case is resolved and sighed, "We hope it is soon." Officials also said off the record that this is a tricky situation. "The city has many unions, and they're all watching."
There is also one even bigger problem for the police: DEP officers get no line of duty pay. All other police in New York State are protected if they're injured on the job, meaning their position and pay is protected and their medical costs covered. Not DEP officers like Ed Klan who was driving to a home where shots had been fire on an icy night and had a rollover accident that pinned him in his car. He had to refinance his house to pay his medical costs. Or, take Officer Eric Hoffman who, three years ago, was chasing two suspects in an ATV and rolled over. He was on a ventilator for three weeks with injuries to both lungs, collarbone, pelvis, broken arm and a fractured skull. Adding insult to his multiple injuries, he has just had to resign from the force because his injuries prevent him from doing his job.
The specifics of what no line of duty pay means are explained in stark detail by union head Wynder:
"An officer hurt today would first have to exhaust all of his leave time he has banked, then he requests a three-month grant of additional leave that he has to pay back when he returns to work." By paying back, Wynder means literally paying back, "They take a portion out of your check every two weeks." After the three-month grant if an officer still can't return to duty, he says, "The officer goes on leave without pay and applies for workers comp, which will be based on his salary. If an officer just entered job, he won't have time and will be in trouble. After a year of leave without pay, you're terminated. Also during leave you lose your benefits so you can't be treated." Which is why Klan had to refinance his house.
Line of duty pay is an essential assurance of police work. Without it, who would want to protect a bank being robbed? Or, as union vice president DEP police Sergeant Joseph Andreani says about his own officers in Yonkers, "If they saw a bunch of terrorists jumping a fence with a backpack and C4 and machine guns, why would an officer put his life on the line? I'd fully expect him to hightail it out of there."
To put it in a context an officer is more likely to find upstate, who would want to enforce trespassing laws in hunting season? There's the chance of meeting a stray bullet or an angry hunter with a gun, an angry hunter with a gun who already feels the DEP has little or no authority. These trespassing violations, though, are just the sort of statutes the city still wants its officers to enforce.
The city has a morale problem, to say the least. Officers already have poor motivation and high attrition rates, both of which were problems the EPA commented on back in 2000. Now eight years without a pay hike has exacerbated the problem. Add to that the repeated broken promises for a new contract. In the last year alone they were promised one first in the autumn, then by Christmas, then New Year, then come May…. Officers are at the end of their rope. In reporting this story the News has heard from ones thinking of changing careers, going back to school, leaving for other forces, anything but the DEP. Losing officers is also expensive for the city. Each officer who leaves (and in the last three weeks there have been nine who have—a big number for a department of 180 people) costs the city around $50-$100,000, union representatives estimate. That includes the partial pay recruits get while at the academy for seven months as well as the academy itself (built in 2004), so infrastructure costs and instructors and equipment.
This all leaves the watershed vulnerable. One officer downstate said, "I can show you where half the cameras are out and we can all scale the fence and go swimming in the Yonkers Reservoir. That is treated water going straight to faucets in the city." Another in one of the upstate precincts said, "They have cameras on us everywhere in our precinct house, but none on the dam. That sends a really bad message. They don't pay us and they don't trust us while the dam is vulnerable." The implicit message is that the system is open for terrorism
Because the watershed and its reservoir system are so vast and seem so tranquil, it can be hard to imagine an actual threat. Reputedly the Ashokan Reservoir was second on the list of targets for the 1993 World Trade Center attackers, and when Bin Laden was killed, the list of targets found in his possessions were said to include trains, water supply systems and dams. The last two suggest New York City's would have to be high on that list. You don't have to poison the water either, which is nearly impossible. One DEP officer said, "I can take you to places where you could take out 100 percent of the water supply to the city with one backpack and one gun. That would shut down the sewers and sprinkler systems in buildings, so no one could be in skyscrapers because anything over three stories requires sprinklers. You couldn't fight fires. The city –" as the officer put it bluntly, "would become a ghost town." It's scenarios like this that caused the Ashokan's spillway road to be closed to traffic in 2001.
In frustration several officers are applying for whistleblower status with the EPA. "We had guys coming in saying we're here to clean up a hydrochloride spill," one officer explains. "You'd ask them a question and they'd say very quickly, 'yeah yeah, oh it's just a couple gallons.' Because the city wants these things un- or underreported. They don't want stories like that getting out to the EPA like happened with mercury releases."
The employee who reported the mercury issues – not a police officer but a maintenance worker – says after he cooperated with the EPA and FBI, he was made to cool his heels in an office with no windows, no phone, nothing for eight hours a day. This is a strategy the city also uses on teachers they want to get rid of, putting them in what's called a "rubber room," where officials can essentially make an employee suffer enough to resign without breaking employment agreements.
Then, there's the mystery report. Commissioned by Emily Lloyd when she headed the agency, the Dennis Smith Report was written by a public policy professor at NYU. Having analyzed the NYPD after 9/11. He was hired to assess the DEP police force and potential problems in the watershed including terrorism. Some have read a redacted version; New York City Councilman Peter Vallone was allowed to read it in his office. The report was apparently brought in by guards who also had to take it away with them when he finished. According to Wynder, the report includes lines like, "A 7-11 is better protected than the watershed." He also says the report discusses that the force is too small and morale dangerously low, while poor pay, lack of respect and lack of a contract make the city vulnerable. The union's lawyer Richard Merritt says, "If something did happen, you can bet that report will be at the forefront and under scrutiny." He's petitioning to make it public as part of counter petition to be heard by state supreme court on July 27. Will we ever find out what it says? Probably not any time soon. New York City has already filed for another 45-day delay in proceedings.
It's no wonder that Joseph Andreani, union VP and DEP police sergeant, is taking matters into his own hands. A Brooklyn resident, he's stopped paying his water bill. "It's issued by the same office that pays me. Each month it comes, I refuse to pay. It's my own small personal protest."


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Alfresco launches Activiti BPMN 2.0 Business Process Engine
BPM Veteran Architects Tom Baeyens and Joram Barrez Join Alfresco to Drive Project
LONDON, UK, SAN MATEO, CALIF. AND CAMBRIDGE, MASS. – May 17, 2010 – Alfresco Software, leader in open source enterprise content management (ECM), today announced the Activiti Business Process Management (BPM) open source project and the addition of leading BPM expert Tom Baeyens as Chief Architect, BPM. The Activiti project is a new Apache-licensed open source BPM platform designed from a blank slate to implement the new BPMN 2.0 standard from the Object Management Group (OMG) and to support new technology challenges such as interoperability and the Cloud. Tom Baeyens, founder and architect of the JBoss jBPM project, and fellow architect Joram Barrez, join Alfresco to create the first Apache-licensed BPMN 2.0 engine.
Tweet this: #Alfresco launches Activiti BPMN 2.0 business process engine, hires JBoss jBPM architects Tom Baeyens & Joram Barrez
An independently-run and branded open source project, Activiti will work independently of the Alfresco open source ECM system. Activiti will be built from the ground up to be a light-weight, embeddable BPM engine, but also designed to operate in scalable Cloud environments. Activiti will be liberally licensed under Apache License 2.0 to encourage widespread usage and adoption of the Activiti BPM engine and BPMN 2.0, which is being finalized as standard by OMG.
Joining Alfresco in the Activiti project is the SpringSource division of VMware. Alfresco plans to submit the project to the Apache Foundation to attract a wide variety of BPM experts and drive BPM innovation.
The first alpha release of Activiti indicates the breadth of capabilities intended for the project, including:
- Activiti Engine: A simple JAR file containing the Process Virtual Machine and BPMN process language implementation;
- Activiti Probe: A system administration console to control and operate the Activiti Engine;
- Activiti Explorer: A simple end-user application for managing task lists and executing process tasks;
- Activiti Modeler: A browser-based and Ajax-enabled BPMN 2.0 process modeling tool designed for business analysts.
"Activiti will be very disruptive in the BPM landscape," said Tom Baeyens. "The Apache license, feature completeness and developer focus will bring Activiti to the next level of mass adoption of BPM technology. Activiti will drive innovation in the industry since common BPM features will become freely available. By harnessing these ideas and community effort, Activiti has the potential to become the de facto standard implementation for BPM and BPMN."
"This is a very exciting development for Spring developers and the Java community in general," said Adrian Coyler, CTO of SpringSource. "There has long been a need for an Apache licensed process engine, which has great utility for many applications. We see Activiti as expanding Java and open source development into new application areas, particularly in the Cloud."
"We initiated this project to make content and process technologies more broadly available and ubiquitous," stated John Newton, CTO of Alfresco Software. "We did this because, like other open source projects, we needed a more liberally-licensed process engine. We believe this can transform the business process industry as Alfresco has done for the ECM industry."
Activiti will become Alfresco's default business process engine, Alfresco will continue to support jBPM as well as other business process engines currently integrated with its ECM software. Alfresco will also offer support, maintenance and indemnity for the Activiti suite alongside the Alfresco Enterprise Edition.
For more information and to download the Activiti alpha release, please visit: www.activiti.org
Trademark Disclaimer
Product names, logos, brands, and other trademarks featured or referred to within this release are the property of their respective trademark holders. All other trademarks belong to Alfresco Software.


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Moderator: B&F Moderator
Lord Dubious wrote:Kromestar & Skream
Aaron wrote:LD:
I just picked up WAR003 (Sizzla mashed) and I can't think where I heard a li'l snippit of Sizz's--might be Boxcutter or somp'm on Hyperdub? Can you, or anyone else, advise?
PS: Have you visited Nick's http://gutterbreakz.blogspot.com/ it was the site for all things dupstep, but he was burned out and gives himself a wider remit these days--still a fun read.
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FORT LAUDERDALE, Fla. — It is easy to embrace the thought Alabama will defeat Notre Dame in Monday night's Bowl Championship Series title game at Sun Life Stadium.
Alabama (12-1) is on dynasty's cusp, seeking its third title in four years under Coach Nick Saban. People are already trying to compare Saban with Bear Bryant.
"I wouldn't agree with that at all," Saban said in what was absolutely the correct answer.
Notre Dame (12-0) hasn't won a championship since 1988, and many would say the Irish have been looking over a four-leaf clover since their opener in Ireland.
"I think you get what you deserve," third-year Coach Brian Kelly countered on Sunday. "You have to have more than luck. You have to have a will, a determination. You have confidence."


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A recent study shows that if the United States built a concentrated solar power farm on one hundred square miles of land, it would provide enough energy to power the entire country. Media artist and activist Joseph DeLappe thinks he's found a great candidate for the location deep in the Nevada desert. And to bring attention to it, he decided to brave the sweltering heat and take to a customized bicycle to draw a 460 mile line in the desert.
In the Nevada desert, Federally-owned lands which encompass the Nevada Test Site, Yucca Mountain, Nellis Air Force Range, and Area 51 just so happen to cover approximately that 100 square miles of space. This area is the largest peacetime military base in the world, and DeLappe suggests that we might re-think how we use that space to better provide for the needs of the country. It has previously been used for 928 nuclear tests, and continues to be a testing ground for bombs. It also continues to be used for US military training and for weapon, technology and energy development. Instead, DeLappe is suggesting that we might better serve our country by utilizing that space to provide enough energy for the entire country.
To bring attention to his cause, DeLappe rode a bicycle trailing a piece of chalk to outline this area. It took him 9 days of riding nearly 50 miles a day to fully encircle the space, using 246 pieces of homemade chalk. He spent about 7-8 hours each day riding, going through an average of 8-10 bottles of Gatorade per day, and the very necessary 5 tubes of sunscreen to battle the hot Nevada sun.
DeLappe's idea isn't meant necessarily to suggest that this is the only, or even the best location for such a solar installation, but simply to get people talking about the idea. He believes that, as a nation, we could decide to accomplish a goal of energy sustainability as a practical alternative to our current system, and that this is one possible direction that might take. One day, perhaps, this will be seen as not just a literal line in the sand, but the line we cross to change the face of energy production for the US.


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ChefConnect: Charlotte MarketConnect Badges
Deadline: December 29, 2017
Each exhibiting company at ChefConnect: Charlotte is entitled to an allotment of complimentary badges (valid during move-in, move-out and throughout the show) based on the total number of tables contracted for by your company. Every exhibitor receives two complimentary badges. For each additional table space, an additional two badges are added to the complimentary allotment up to a maximum of four badges. For exmaple:
- One MarketConnect Table = 2 badges
- Two MarketConnect Tables = 4 badges
Each additional badge over the complimentary allotment will cost $20.
- Badges ordered by the posted deadline will be available for on-site pickup at ACF's sales desk. If no order is received, generic badges with company name only will be provided.
- Exhibitor badges must be worn during move-in, show hours and move-out. Only someone wearing an Exhibitor badge will be allowed on the floor during move-in and move-out.
- Children under 16 years of age will not be permitted to work your booth or gain access to the exhibitor floor at any time.
If you have any questions or if you need to purchase additional badges, call the ACF national office at (800) 624-9458 and ask for Events Management.