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Please feel free to read our latest reviews from customers in London, Essex & Berkshire. More testimonials
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subset: commoncrawl


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Understanding that the needs of each individual tree or shrub present on your property are vastly different from one another is the first key to maintaining a beautiful, sustainable landscape. A successful plant health care program starts with comprehensive knowledge of your plants and the problems they may encounter. Abiotic factors such as plant selection, site drainage, soil conditions, proper planting and pruning practices, and even the physical condition of your plants root systems must first be inspected prior to the start of any program, as poor plant health typically stems from problems such as these. Once stressed out by environmental factors trees and shrubs become significantly more prone to biotic factors such as insect and mite infestation, and bacterial and fungal infection. While there are a wide variety of effective treatments and services that we can utilize to help relieve stresses present on mature trees, it is important that monitoring begins when the plants are young. This allows us to address problems with your plants before they sustain too much damage and are unable to recover with or without our help. We design each program based solely on the needs of your plants and only treat for insect and disease issues if they are present at the time of each visit.
Our Plant Health Care division offers the following services:
Soil Testing
Prior to starting any fertilization program it is highly recommended that soil samples from throughout the landscape are taken and sent out to be analyzed. By accurately determining the soil pH and nutrient levels present, we can design a program based on the needs of your plants.
Tree and Shrub Fertilization
Our tree and shrub fertilization program consists of 2 deep root fertilizer applications, one in the spring, and one in fall. Spacing out the fertilizer injections allows for consistent nutrient availability at the times when your plants expend the most energy and need it most. We utilize a high quality complete fertilizer that contains all of the macronutrients utilized by your plant material. By injecting the fertilizer directly into the trees root zone we ensure that the trees can take in the nutrients efficiently. Maintaining strong and vigorous plants through fertilization and proper cultural practices is the key to reducing infection and infestation from opportunistic fungi and insects.
Insect and Mite Control
As landscape plants age they will inevitably become stressed which will allow opportunistic pests to take hold and begin feeding and reproducing on your valuable trees and shrubs. As there are a wide spectrum insects and mites active at many different times of the season, one treatment is typically not enough to effectively suppress these pests throughout the year. As no one landscape is the same, we will determine exactly what is needed to manage the problems specific to your plants, and we will only apply treatments if they are necessary.
Disease Control
Unlike your lawn, where a single fungicide treatment can be applied to halt the progress of a fungus and allow you to grow a disease out quickly, disease control is far more complex when it comes to your trees. Knowledge of the plant pathogens as well as the host plants is key to diagnosing and managing disease activity on your landscape plants. Once we identify the issue we can proceed with determining the number of treatments necessary and how to properly time them to effectively suppress the symptoms of the disease. However, there are many diseases that have no effective chemical control such as root diseases and wood decaying fungi.
Anti-Desiccant Treatments
Winter burn can be devastating to your costly broadleaf evergreens such as boxwoods, hollies, cherry laurels and even rhododendrons. This treatment is applied in the late fall/early winter and forms a thin film over the foliage of the plants. This helps to prevent moisture loss from the foliage, which in turn will help to prevent winter damage and wind burn.
Merit Injections
Certain insect pests that can attack your ornamentals are difficult to control with traditional spray treatments and are better handled by using soil injected systemic insecticides. This is true for pests such as boxwood leaf miner, certain soft scales, lace bug, and even hemlock wooly adelgid are more effectively controlled in this manner. A metered amount of the insecticide is injected into the soil around the base of the plant, and then the plant will uptake the material. When the insects continue to feed they will ingest the chemical and control will be obtained.
This application will treat for ornamental pest problems as Scale, Aphids and fall Web Worms and control of diseases such as Blight, Rust and Powdery Mildew.
Plant Pathogen Testing
Certain types of diseases can be very difficult to diagnose through visual inspection alone. When plant diseases such as these are suspected we recommend sending out samples the lab to have them accurately diagnosed. This ensures proper measures can be taken to treat the fungus or prevent the spread to other susceptible plants in the landscape.
Air Spade Services
Root Collar Excavation
Many trees present in the landscape suffer issues caused by being planted too deeply. If the root flare of the tree is not visible it can lead to many long term issues that can result in the death of the tree. In order to correct this an air spade can be utilized to safely remove the soil around the base of the trunk without damaging any established roots. This will help to correct issues associated with deep planting, and also aerate the soil around the root flare.
Root Pruning
Many trees in the landscape suffer from girdling root issues that can eventually lead to the death of the tree. Girdling roots are roots that begin to circle the trunk of the tree and cut off the vascular system of the plant limiting the flow of substances such as water and nutrients that are vital to the trees survival. These issues can be caused by improper planting and there are also many species of trees that are naturally prone to girdling roots. The root collar must first be excavated using an air spade, which will allow access to the problem roots. Utilizing a variety of hand tools the problem roots are then removed, and the soil is replaced around the base of the tree. Even mature trees have been shown to respond very well to the removal of these problematic roots.
Radial Trenching
Soil compaction issues can lead to severely limited root growth in both young and mature trees. Compaction can be caused from a wide variety of sources; anything from foot and mower traffic to heavy construction equipment can lead to severe compaction that can lead to tree decline. Radial trenching is a process where trenches are run from the base of the tree out to the drip line using an air spade to keep the roots intact. Once the trenches are run they can be backfilled with a mix of topsoil and compost to not only improve soil structure and aeration but replenish necessary organic matter in the soil. This has been shown to improve rooting by up to 300% which significantly improves the health of the tree.
*In addition to these services we can utilize the air spade help reduce root damage in construction situations where utilities must be run in close proximity to valued street trees. Rather than cutting through the roots as the utility companies will most likely do, we can excavate a trench using the air spade for them to run the utilities without causing damage to the trees root system. Large scale cutting of roots during construction will typically result in tree mortality and a costly bill to have the trees removed down the line. Please call us if you are informed of any utility digging to be done on your property so we may help preserve your trees.


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For over 25 years, Steven Enterprises, Inc. has been the wide format industry's go-to source for the finest quality CAD, graphics, printing and imaging products. Our sincere dedication to the highest quality customer service, paired with our vast product selection and in-house service expertise, has proven a win-win combination for our customer base.
Our Equipment Specialists have over 125 years of in-depth industry experience to sell, lease, service and furnish supplies and parts for all models of printing, copying and scanning equipment. We also offer a full line of OEM brands and compatibles at competitive prices for all of your ink and toner needs. This extensive resource base, supplemented by our national distribution centers, gives us the leverage to create the best solution for your company's needs while simultaneously saving you time and money. Our wide variety of maintenance agreements and highly skilled Service Technicians provide prompt, reliable service and repairs for numerous Engineering Copiers, Plotters and Reprographic Systems, consistently keeping your down time to a minimum.
Working with Steven Enterprises is like having many small businesses under one roof to service and support your company. We truly value our relationships with our customers, and look forward to being your long-term business partner. If you need to get printing, we're here to make it happen. Call 1-800-491-8785 and let us do the work for you.


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European election: Fine Gael's Sean Kelly and Deirdre Clune take final two seats in Ireland South
FINE Gael has taken the final two seats in the Ireland South European election constituency after a mammoth three-day count.
Following the election on Monday lunchtime of long-term MEP Brian Crowley, and first time Sinn Fein candidate Liadh Ni Riada to the massive constituency, Fine Gael followed by returning former GAA president Sean Kelly to the European Parliament late Tuesday.
And following a tense finale, his running mate, Senator Deirdre Clune was also elected to the Brussels legislature at the expense of fellow Fine Gael man Simon Harris.
Following a busy day at the Cork count centre, there were eliminations for Ballyhea's Diarmuid O'Flynn, outgoing Labour MEP Phil Prendergast, and Sixmilebridge Independent Richard Cahill.
Mr Kelly took a total of 121,566, so he was elected without reaching the quota of 131,500.
Meanwhile, Ms Clune secured 74,370 votes.
It was enough to edge out Mr Harris who got 70,808 votes.
Sports journalist and 'Ballyhea says no' leader Mr O'Flynn took an impressive 51,387 votes, while Mr Crowley was elected on Monday for a record fifth time to Europe, with a whopping 180,329 first preference votes. He was followed some nine hours later by Ms Ni Riada, who exceeded the quota on the seventh count with 132,590.
Sixmilebridge-based Independent candidate Richard Cahill was eliminated on the fifth count with 15,310 votes altogether, or a 1.6% share.


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Manuel Rebollo12:07
The city is full of Ghosts Alice in Wonderland by Manuel Rebollo a graphic artist and illustrator, Spain. ~
by Manuel Rebollo a graphic artist and illustrator, Spain.
21 comments
I love his art, I'm so fan of his artworks... <3ReplyDelete
"The city is full of Ghosts" - I really like it! not only by the effect words, but it is extraordinarily vast and complex. And I liked the illustrations too. good post!ReplyDelete
Wow! Very nice artwork...ReplyDelete
Nice find! Love the splashes of color - so simple and effective. The captions are a nice touch too! Adds another level to the images. I think I'm starting to become obsessed with fashion illustration..ReplyDelete
so beautiful :)ReplyDelete
thanku, off to see more of it....
Love the first one!ReplyDelete
I don't really get the Alice in Wonderland one....
doesn't evoke it much to me?
@Kelly ~ i don't get the link to Alice in Wonderland either...hmm. But I do like the illustration.ReplyDelete
these are absolutly awesome!ReplyDelete
im in love :)
Pearl xo
These are beautiful! Thanks for sharing :)ReplyDelete
Really great illustrations & soft colors, oh & love the line work or lack-there-of like in the 2nd one. Nice! =)ReplyDelete
wow they look amazing!!ReplyDelete
I love the first one. So beautiful!ReplyDelete
Beautiful illustrations! I particularly love the first one. Love the line movement.ReplyDelete
Amazing work. I love the way he uses color and how it trickles beyond the lines a bit. Just gorgeous.ReplyDelete
These illustrations are very appealing to me..I'm really digging his style!ReplyDelete
Gorgeous post dear!ReplyDelete
LOVE your blog...
I love the shoes in the last painting! I wish I could have them in suede :)ReplyDelete
I really like the colors in these! :)ReplyDelete
These are fantastic. Love the color in the first one. And Alice is just special.ReplyDelete
Love this illustration...Colors...Really nice !ReplyDelete


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Ohio State Buckeyes Football Tickets
Ohio State Buckeyes Football Tickets Tickets Rated 0.00/5 based on 0 customer reviews 100 0
Many thought an early season loss to Virginia Tech had cost the Buckeyes a chance to play for the National Title. The were wrong. Ohio State marched through the rest of the season en route to the Big Ten championship game. After defeating Wisconsin 59 to 0, yes you read that correctly, the Buckeyes qualified for the first ever BCS four-team playoff. Ohio State took down national title favorite Alabama in the semis, which set up a matchup with the Oregon Ducks. The victory over the Ducks in the championship was Ohio State's 13th win in a row. Remarkably, Ohio State did all of that after their starting and backup quarterback went down with injuries. Cardale Jones entered the season as the third string QB but you wouldn't have known it if you watched him play. Head coach Urban Meyer has quite the problem on his hands. Although to be fair, most coaches would love to have three possible QBs that are more than capable starters. Braxton Miller, J.T. Barrett, and Cardale Jones are all still on the team. It is anyone's guess who is going to take the first snap of the season but don't be surprised to see all three of them at some point. Standout tailback Ezekiel Elliott returns for his junior season. Elliot was a huge reason behind the success of the Buckeyes last season and will have an even bigger impact with another year of experience. Don't be surprised to see the Ohio State Buckeyes at the top of most preseason rankings. Can Urban Meyer deliver yet another National Championship? Gold Coast Tickets has the best selection of OSU football tickets around. Get yours today!
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My son was hearing impaired as a toddler so he had a hard time communicating and was allergic to bananas! I made a laminated banana pin that I placed on the back of his shirt that said: NO Bananas please! It worked well at new places, and placing it on his shirt on the back ensured it would be seen and he could not remove it.. I also became a huge label reader! When I made food for parties I always made extra allergen free foods I knew my son could eat in case the foods contained things he could not eat. I always make sure I am prepared for an emergency, you never know when (especially young) children may get something they can not eat.
How do you ensure your child's food allergy safety?
Peanut and other allergies can be a very serious issue for children to handle. What are some things you've learned that help ensure your allergic child's safety in regards to food products?
Food allergies are common in children. They can vary from a mild reaction to a severe one. Foods that cause allergic reactions are known as allergens. If your toddler sneezes a lot, frequently develops a rash, gets a stomach ache after consuming certain foods – he may have allergies.To know more on Signs and symptoms of food allergy
We have a strict policy: eat only items brought from home or pre-screened packaged foods. Period. Certain "safe" restaurants are okay too. No matter what, each morning we run through a mental check list trying to determine eat meal. If my kids will visit friends, we have a discuss long before the visit regarding food. Sometimes I send over pasta and a jar of safe sauce. Other times, if I know the family well enough to establish they understand cooking for a food allergic, they might eat food cooked there.
The bottom line: create and stick to your family's policy and don't budge.
She doesn't eat anything mom or dad didn't approve. That means I make her lunch when we travel or she's hanging with grandma. It means I have to bring her snack to Sunday School. It means I have to bring her a meal to potlucks in addition to the family dish to pass. It means I cook family holiday dinners.
All of those things are a pain BUT they are much less of a pain than spending time in the ER learning whether the reaction or the epipen did more damage to her.
Need to learn how to read labels things are not always spelled out. I am allergic to peanuts,soy, dairy, sulfa and tomatoes. I have had a reaction from a vitamin that used tomatoes for the red food color. It was not spelled out in the label it was lumped together as natural ingredients. They do the same with the soy it is also listed as S M G, Lecithin can be either soy or dairy. Dairy is a another hard one they break it down to the diferrent particals contained in the milk such as whey, cassen, protein. I have a hard time going to parties people still do not believe an allergies can be a bad thing or that it can hurt in small quantities. We have to make our own bread because I can not have even the little amount of dairy that is in each loaf of store bought bread if we can find one with out soy in it. I have to take my own food if I go to a party, or to some ones house for dinner.
Could you please tell me what can you give your kids for allergies?, for example when my son starts rubbing his nose and eyes, then itching in his nose, and stuffs like that. It's usually happening when he changes from hot to cold places. Somebody any recomendation?
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This blog thing is a real trip sometimes.
The letter reproduced here was once sent out into the world by me as part of my search into the hydra-headed serpent known as Hollywood punk rock, apparently back in Jan. 1987. Now I don't actually remember sending it, or if I ever received a response at the time. But inexplicably it's returned, boomerang-like. And I'm staring at the damn thing again. WTF?
Well, ya see: the recipient Jon, aka JB – he discovered this blog early on. There's a comment from him on my very first post. He recently let me know I'd queried him by mail about a handfull of p-rock records, 21+ years ago as a dorky 16 yr. old. And a couple weeks back JB "kindly" forwarded this scan to chez PS Recon. Fucking hell, man! What comes around sure as shit goes around. Especially within the claustrophobic, skinnyhead world of California punk rock record collecting.
Which is all to let you know I'm back again to sling around more ill-thought out opinions about all your Hollywood punk heroes. Read the first or second posts in this series if you must, and then: 1-2-3-4 let's g-g-g-go . . .
1. Best RIK L RIK-led effort: Garbage Hearts – The Lost EP (2007) Yes heavy drug use clipped RIK's artistic fingernails to the bloody quick, but dammit if he didn't record a dimebag full of minor-key, SLEEPERS-inspired glamour punk gems, some of which dated from up near his death in 2000. Shit I actually had a difficult time picking a favorite RIK moment. This man's F-WORD album is generally considered the first Hollywood punk LP to see the light of day. His "Outback" cut – as heard on my first punker purchase ever (Rodney On The Roq, Vol. I) – was also the very first song I ever taught myself on bass gtr. And his cuts on the Beach Blvd comp. impressed the hell outta me – at least until I heard the earlier, NEGATIVE TREND EP versions.
But ultimately, this long-lost EP of early 90's NEW CHRISTS-like material may be his very best. Certainly, it's some of his most coherent, and I love the way his baritone soars over the din. Check it out if you haven't – and long may the kids remember RIK's barefoot croon.
2. Best BLACK RANDY & THE METROSQUAD effort: Pass the Dust, I Think I'm Bowie LP (Dangerhouse Records, '79) – Talk about sidespilting – these cads still slay me 6 ways to Sunday. Any JAMES CHANCE/WHITE comparisons will definitely hold water. But remember: unlike James, Randy wasn't actually musical, just an irresponsible prankster dead-set on exposing some of the sillier/staider aspects of "the scene" at the time. There's room in my heart for such types, fr sure – even when they're trying to pants me.
Hey, where's that tweaked live snippet of "Ziggy Stardust" that graced the original Dangerhouse LP? It didn't seem to make the cut on the Sympathy For The Record Industry reissue CD. Copyright complications perhaps? C'MON Long Gone John, this was fucking BLACK RANDY – he coulda punked out the Thin White Duke in no time flat.
3. Best FEAR effort: Saturday Night Live '81 – As huge as they were around LA in the early 80's with young, suburban cropped-hair dudes, FEAR (not unlike, say, the ANTI-NOWHERE LEAGUE) always hit me as ersatz HC punk, a patent-leather version of the real deal. Which isn't to say they weren't good – they were, and I do like alot of tunes on the first Slash LP, despite the thin/compressed production. But it's why I've chosen this SNL clip: FEAR always seemed to have their sights set mainly on that other, film-industry Hollywood, and Lee hits ya best when he's on camera. Look hard, and you'll spot Ian Mackaye in the audience! (BTW: the first single is probably their best studio moment, but I never did turn up that rarity . . .)
4. Best ANGRY SAMOANS effort: Queer Pills 7″ 45 (Homophobic Records, '81) Another band of far-from-authentically hardcore types who the HB strut contingent went absolutely gaga over. Had these kinda older, wordy fanzine scribes been anywhere else in the US, no doubt they'd have put out records that sounded like THE GIZMOS or THE SCREAMIN' MEE-MEES or something. But they came to fruition in SoCal in the early 80's where BLACK FLAG and THE CIRCLE JERKS were calling the shots; hence, the violent brevity of their cool, bonehead tuneage. This release of Back From Samoa demos came out under the QUEER PILLS moniker in hopes of throwing off the scent of LA DJ Rodney Bingenheimer, who'd they'd already alienated every which way but loose. It didn't work and also meant that most of these 45s didn't sell at the time, only to flood into record stores in the late 80's. The record collector geek in me thanks the gods for this small karmic retribution.
5. Best GERMS effort: (GI) LP (Slash Records, '79) Will anyone ever come up with a record this transcendent in the name of punkrock again? I don't fucking think so. Yeah I've always kinda felt this record belongs nestled up against, say, yr COIL and POPOL VUH discs. Even now, listening to it transports me someplace far outside my body, where gtrs ring out hidden universal keys and a wordless growl makes the most complete sense in all the world. That these speed-fueled, teenage crybabies came up with something so timeless blows away all known laws of physics. I, for one, don't like to imagine what Darby would've come up with had he'd hung around this Earth any longer – blowhard new wave? New-Ro balladeering? Cause he wasn't never no kinda singer, nohow. What Darby was, was a truly potent wizard of cosmic proportions.
Much thanks to JB for his lifelong hoarding tendencies


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Currently in search of a good home: this jaw dropping 1920s slouch vest w/ attached cape… dripping with ridiculous (in a good way) 19.5″ jet black fringe. There's two 40″ long tassel style fringe clusters in front as well. Excellent condition and very wearable. These days it's extremely rare to find vintage as old, exceptional, AND wearable. I find maybe 2 pieces that fit the bill per year. So I guess this year is off to a good start!
Snatch it up for $549.00 if you have deep pockets. If not, don't be intimated. The reserve is considerably lower.
Fast forward several decades to something similar (and undoubtedly 20s inspired), from boutique label All That Remains. Yours for $690.00 at Bonadrag.


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No: 108-2
Date: March 17, 2003
Ways and Means Committee approves H.R. 743, the Social Security Protection Act of 2003
On March 13, 2003, by a vote of 35-2, the House Committee on Ways and Means approved H.R. 743, the Social Security Protection Act of 2003. H.R. 743 is the 108th Congress's version of a similar bill from the previous Congress (H.R. 4070) which passed the House by a vote of 425-0.
The House had considered H.R. 743 on March 5, 2003 under suspension of the rules, but it did not pass. Although the vote was 249-180 in favor, under suspension of the rules, a bill requires a 2/3 majority of members voting to pass.
Following are provisions in H.R. 743 that would affect SSA-administered programs.
Authority to Reissue Benefits Misused by Organizational Representative Payees
- Would require the Commissioner to re-issue benefits under Titles II, VIII, or XVI whenever an individual representative payee serving 15 or more beneficiaries, or an organizational representative payee, is found to have misused a beneficiary's funds.
- Defines "misuse" as when a representative payee converts benefits for use other than for the beneficiary.
- Would be effective for determinations of misuse on or after January 1, 1995.
Oversight of Representative Payees
- Would require non-governmental fee-for-service organizational representative payees to be both licensed and bonded, provided that licensing is available in the State. (This part of provision would be effective on the first day of the 13th month after enactment.)
- Would require the Commissioner to provide for periodic onsite reviews for all nonprofit fee-for-service payees, organizational payees (both governmental and non-governmental) representing 50 or more beneficiaries, and individual payees representing 15or more beneficiaries.
- Would require the Commissioner to report annually to Congress on the results of the onsite reviews.
- Would be effective upon enactment unless otherwise noted.
Disqualification From Service As Representative Payee of Persons Convicted of Offenses Resulting in Imprisonment For More Than 1 Year, or Fleeing Prosecution, Custody, or Confinement
- Would disqualify an individual from serving as a representative payee if he or she has been convicted of an offense resulting in more than one year of imprisonment, unless the Commissioner determines that such certification would be appropriate notwithstanding such conviction. Also, would disqualify a person who is fleeing prosecution, custody, or confinement.
- Would require the Commissioner to share information with law enforcement on persons disqualified from service as representative payee.
- Would require report to Congress 9 months after enactment whether existing reviews and procedures for payee selection provide sufficient safeguards.
- Would be effective on the first day of the thirteenth month after enactment.
Fee Forfeiture in Case of Benefit Misuse by Representative Payees
- Would require representative payees to forfeit their fee from the beneficiary's benefits for the months during which the representative payee misused the funds, as determined by the Commissioner or a court of competent jurisdiction.
- Would be effective for any month after 180days after enactment in which a determination of misuse is made.
Liability of Representative Payees for Misused Benefits
- Would provide that misused benefits by a nongovernmental representative payee shall be treated as overpayments to the representative payee, subject to current overpayment recovery authorities.
- Would provide that any recovered benefits not reissued to the beneficiary pursuant to the first section of this legislation would be reissued under this provision to the beneficiary or their alternate representative payee, up to the total amount misused.
- Would be effective with respect to benefit misuse determined 180 days after enactment.
Authority to Redirect Delivery of Benefit Payments when A Representative Payee Fails to Provide Required Accounting
- Would provide SSA with the authority to redirect payments of Social Security, title VIII, and SSI benefits to local Social Security field offices if a representative payee fails to provide an annual accounting of benefits report.
- Would require the Commissioner to provide proper notice prior to redirecting benefits.
- Would be effective 180days after enactment.
Civil Monetary Penalty Authority With Respect to Wrongful Conversions by Representative Payees
- Would authorize SSA to impose a civil monetary penalty for offenses involving misuse of Social Security, title VIII, or SSI benefits received by a representative payee on behalf of another individual. The penalty equals up to $5,000 for each violation. In addition, the representative payee shall be subject to an assessment of not more than twice the amount of the misused payments.
- Would be effective for violations committed after the date of enactment.
Civil Monetary Penalty Authority With Respect to Knowing Withholding of Material Facts
- Would authorize SSA to impose, in addition to any other penalties that apply, civil monetary penalties of up to $5,000 (and assessments) for withholding of information that is material in determining eligibility for, or the amount of, benefits, if the person knows, or should know, that the withholding of such information is misleading.
- Would be effective with respect to violations committed after the date on which the Commissioner implements the centralized computer file required under the following section.
Issuance by Commissioner or Social Security of Receipts to Acknowledge Submission of Reports of Changes in Work or Earnings Status of Disabled Beneficiaries
- Would require the Commissioner to issue a receipt to disabled beneficiaries each time they report their work and earnings.
- Would be effective as soon as possible, but no later than 1 year after enactment and until such time as the Commissioner implements centralized computer file.
Denial of Title II Benefits to Persons Fleeing Prosecution, Custody, or Confinement, and to Persons Violating Probation or Parole
- Would deny title II benefits to persons fleeing prosecution, custody, or confinement, and to persons violating probation or parole, unless the Commissioner determines that good cause exists for paying such benefits.
- Would also provide, if not in violation of Federal or State law, that the Commissioner will furnish law enforcement officers the current address, SSN and photograph (if applicable) if necessary for the officer to perform his duties with respect to locating and apprehending the beneficiary.
- Would be effective first day of month beginning on or after the date that is 9 months after enactment.
Requirements Relating to Offers to Provide for a Fee a Product or Service Available without Charge from the Social Security Administration
- Would amend Section 1140 by adding a mandatory requirement that persons or companies include in their solicitations a statement that services which they provide for a fee are available directly from SSA free of charge.
- Would require that the statements comply with standards promulgated by the Commissioner with respect to their content, placement, visibility, and legibility.
- Would be effective for offers of assistance made after sixth month after enactment.
- Would require that regulations be promulgated within 1 year after enactment.
Refusal to Recognize Certain Individuals as Claimant Representatives
- Would provide that the Commissioner may, with notice and an opportunity to respond, disqualify or prohibit from further practice before SSA an attorney or non attorney representative who has been disbarred, debarred, prohibited, or suspended from any court or bar to which he or she was previously admitted to practice, or disbarred or suspended from representing individuals before any other Federal agency or any other court system authorized under the statutory authority of any other Federal agency, or convicted of any offense or held civilly liable in any matter involving the Social Security Act.
- Would be effective upon enactment.
Penalty for Corrupt or Forcible Interference with Administration of Social Security Act
- Would penalize persons who attempt to intimidate or impede by force or threats of force any officer or employee of the United States acting in an official capacity under the Social Security Act or persons who in any other way obstruct or impede or attempt to obstruct or impede the administration of the Social Security Act. The maximum penalties would be $5,000 and/or 3 years imprisonment. If the offense were committed only by threats, the person would be fined no more than $3,000 and/or 1 year imprisonment.
- Would be effective upon enactment.
Use of Symbols, Emblems, or Names in Reference to Social Security or Medicare
- Would update section 1140 for HCFA's new name (Centers for Medicare and Medicaid Services). The section adds Death Benefits Update, Federal Benefits Information, Funeral Expenses, etc. as items prohibited from the use of symbols, emblems or names that may provide a false impression that the item is approved or endorsed by SSA, CMS or HHS.
- Would be effective for items sent 180 days after enactment.
Disqualification from Payment During Trial Work Period Upon Conviction of Fraudulent Concealment of Work Activity
- Would provide that an individual who is convicted by a Federal court of fraudulently concealing work activity during the trial work period (TWP) would not be entitled to receive a disability benefit for TWP months that occur prior to the conviction but within the same period of disability. If payment has already been made, he or she is liable for repayment plus restitution, fines, penalties and assessments.
- Would be effective with respect to work activity performed after date of enactment.
Authority for Judicial Orders of Restitution
- Would authorize Federal courts to order a defendant convicted of defrauding Social Security, Special Veterans' Benefits or SSI to make restitution to SSA
- Would establish a special fund in the Treasury for the deposit of funds so received to be use to defray expenses incurred in carrying out titlesII, VIII, and XVI, except for recovered funds that represent benefits misused by representative payees, which shall be deposited in the trust funds of general fund of the Treasury, as appropriate.
- Would be effective with respect to violations occurring on or after enactment.
Cap on Attorney Assessments
- Would cap the assessment for SSA processing attorney fees at $75 or 6.3% of attorney fee, whichever is lower.
- Would adjust cap based on annual COLAs rounded down to next lower $1.
- Would be effective 180 days after enactment.
Extension of Attorney Fee Payment System to Title XVI Claims
- Would extend the direct payment of attorney fees and the assessment for processing the fees to the SSI program.
- Would limit fees to 25% of past-due benefits (same as title II) or amount remaining after States are reimbursed for interim assistance, whichever is less.
- Would require the Comptroller General of the United States to study fee withholding for non-attorney representatives.
- Would be effective 270 days after enactment and would sunset 5 years after enactment.
Application of Demonstration Authority Sunset Date to New Projects
- Would extend the authority to include projects initiated before the 5-year period ending December 17,2004 expires.
Expansion of Waiver Authority Available in Connection with Demonstration Projects Providing for Reductions in Disability Insurance Benefits Based on Earnings
- Would provide the Commissioner with the authority to waive requirements of section 1148 of the Social Security Act for the mandated demonstration projects.
- Would be effective upon enactment.
Funding of Demonstration Projects Provided for Reductions in Disability Insurance Benefits Based on Earnings
- Would clarify that the cost of paying increased benefits will not be appropriated while the administrative costs associated with the demonstration projects will come normally from funds available for administration.
- Would be effective upon enactment.
Availability of Federal and State Work Incentive Services to Additional Individuals
- Would allow BPAO services and P&A systems services to be provided to those beneficiaries in section 1619(b) status, those beneficiaries receiving only a State Supplement payment, and those beneficiaries in an extended period of Medicare eligibility under title XVIII after a period of disability under title II has ended.
- Would allow P&A System services to include those needed to maintain employment (in addition to those needed to secure or regain it).
- Would be effective with respect to: (1) grants, cooperative agreements or contracts entered into on or after the date of enactment; and, (2) payments provided after the date of enactment.
Technical Amendment Clarifying Treatment for Certain Purposes of Individual Work Plans under the Ticket to Work and Self-Sufficiency Program
- Would treat an individual receiving vocational rehabilitation pursuant to an individual work plan established under the Ticket to Work program the same as an individual with an individualized work plan under a State plan for vocational rehabilitation services approved under the Rehabilitation Act of 1973, thereby making employers who hire such individuals eligible for the worker opportunity tax credit.
- Would be effective as if enacted in section 505 of P.L. 106-170 (i.e., applies to individuals who began work for the employer after June 30, 1999.)
Elimination of Transcript Requirement in Remand Cases Fully Favorable to the Claimant
- Would provide that the Agency does not have to prepare and file a transcript with the district court after a court-ordered remand for further administrative proceedings results in a fully-favorable award of benefits.
- Would be effective with respect to determinations made upon remand made on or after the date of enactment.
Nonpayment of Benefits upon Removal from the United States
- Would end the exemption from nonpayment of benefits for aliens removed from the United States for smuggling other aliens into the United States.
- Would apply to removal notices received from the Attorney General after the date of enactment.
Reinstatement of Certain Reporting Requirements
- Would continue the requirement for the Board of Trustees report on the OASDI, HI, and SMI trust funds, continuing disability reviews reports, and the disability preeffectuation review report.
- Would be effective upon enactment.
Clarification of Definitions Regarding Certain Survivor Benefits
- Would provide a limited exception to the 9-month duration-of-marriage requirement for widow(er)'s benefits. This exception would apply in cases in which the marriage was postponed by legal impediments to the marriage caused by State restrictions on divorce due to mental incompetence or similar incapacity.
- Would apply to applications filed during months ending after the date of enactment.
Clarification Respecting the FICA and SECA Tax Exemptions for an Individual Whose Earnings Are Subject to the Laws of a Totalization Agreement Partner
- Would provide clear legal authority to exempt a worker's earnings from U.S. Social Security tax in cases where their earnings were subject to a foreign country's laws in accordance with a U.S. totalization agreement, but the foreign country's law does not require compulsory contributions with respect to those earnings.
- Would be effective upon enactment.
Coverage under Divided Retirement System for Public Employees in Kentucky
- Would add Kentucky to the list of 21 States in the Social Security Act permitted to use the divided retirement system procedures. Under these procedures, the State has the option of extending Social Security and Medicare coverage (or Medicare coverage only) to only those current employees who wish to be covered with all future employees being covered automatically.
- Would be effective January 1, 2003.
Compensation for the Social Security Advisory Board
- Would establish compensation for SS Advisory Board members at the daily rate of basic pay for level IV of the Senior Executive Schedule for each day in which the member is engaged in performing a function of a Board member.
- Would be effective January 1, 2003.
60-Month Period of Employment Requirement for Application of Government Pension Offset Exemption
- Would require that State and local government workers be covered by Social Security throughout their last 5 years of employment with the government entity in order to be exempt from the government pension offset provision.
- Would be effective for applications filed on or after the month after the date of enactment. However, the change would not apply if (1) the worker's last day of government employment occurs before the end of the 90-day period following enactment or (2) such last day occurs after the 90-day period and such employment was covered by Social Security during the 90-day period as well as subsequent to that period.
Technical Correction Relating to Responsible Agency Head
- Would delete all references to the "Secretary of Health and Human Services" found in Section 1143 (which requires issuance of Social Security Statements) of the Social Security Act and replaces them with the "Commissioner of Social Security."
- Would be effective upon enactment.
Technical Correction Relating to Retirement Benefits of Ministers
- Would provide a conforming change to the Social Security Act to exclude, for Social Security benefit purposes, certain benefits received by retired ministers and members of religious orders. This would conform the treatment of these benefits to their treatment for Social Security tax purposes.
- Would be effective for years beginning before, on, or after December 1994.
Technical Corrections Relating to Domestic Employment
- Would provide that references to domestic employment be removed from the provisions in the law that define agricultural employment, and the provisions that define domestic employment would specify that domestic employment includes domestic service performed on a farm.
- Would be effective upon enactment.
Technical Corrections of Outdated References
- Would correct various outdated references in the Social Security Act and related laws. Over the years, provisions of the Social Security Act, the Internal Revenue Code, and other laws have been deleted, re-designated, or otherwise amended.
Technical Correction Respecting Self-Employment Income in Community Property States
- Would conform the provision in the Social Security Act and the Internal Revenue Code to current practice in both community property and non-community property States--to provide that income from a trade or business that is not a partnership will be taxed and credited to the spouse who is carrying on the trade or business or to each spouse based on their distributive share of the gross earnings, if jointly operated
- Would be effective upon enactment.


text:
Results 1 to 6 of 6
October 23, 2014, 8:54 pm, Thu Oct 23 20:54:47 UTC 2014 #1Member
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John Bender died in his Costa Rican rainforest mansion. Murder or suicide?John Felix Bender, a brilliant mathematician, had amassed nearly 600 million dollars on Wall Street.
In Virginia, in 1998, a friend introduced John to Anne Maxine Patton.Three weeks later he asked her to marry him.
In 2000, Ann and John moved to Costa Rica. They planned to build a private refuge for injured, abandoned and endangered animals on a secluded 9.65-square-mile property in the remote southwestern corner of the country. They constructed a spectacular and unique four-story circular glass mansion, called Boracayan, totalling some 80,000 square feet of living space.
By 2008, Johns legal battles and other issues had whittled away at his fortune, and he and Ann invested the bulk of their liquid assetsroughly $90 million in a Costa Ricabased trust.
According to Ann Patton, her husband John committed suicide at 12:15 a.m. on January 8th, 2010.
Allegedly, both John and Ann suffered from bipolar disorder and experienced depression.
However, others, including friends and co-workers said that John was in good psychological health, and did not suffer from depression.
Was it murder or suicide?
His head was tilted to the left. In the back of his head, on the right, was where the bullet from Johns 9mm Ruger pistol entered. (The wound was in the right occipital region, a little more than two and a quarter inches away (towards the right) from the middle line of the neck.)
His left wrist dangled off the left side of the bed. Very near the pool of blood on the floor was Johns pistol in a position that was suggestive of staging as if the gun had just dropped from his hand. While it would make sense that the gun would drop from the hand of a left-handed person to the left side of the body, (and John was left-handed,) it would not make sense given the location of the bullet entry wound to the right rear of Johns head.
Its simply not possible to hold a gun with the left hand and fire a shot behind the right ear with a trajectory that would lead the bullet to near the left eye.
Evidence would later suggest, however, that while John was left-handed, he shot firearms with his right hand.
A spent bullet casing lay behind the bed, some 13 feet away, closer to Anns side than Johns.
Dr. Flores, a pathologist would testify at trial that the body of John showed no sign of struggling, and is consistent with what we characterize as a body in rest.
Flores also discussed the importance of the location of Johns right hand, which was shown to be lying flat on a pillow tucked down by Johns right waist. Johns vital functions had ceased the moment the bullet entered his brain. It is very difficult, anatomically, to shoot in that position, Flores said. Even if John had done so, she said, his arm would have immediately fallen inert.
She was asked the question, Is it possible to shoot with the right hand and end with the position in which it was found? She answered, In my experience, it is not possible.
The prosecution also contended that there was no exit wound from the bullet, which would be expected in a self-inflicted gunshot wound.
Only Ann tested positive for gunpowder residue - her clothes, hands and some napkins she had used had GSR on them. She also had very little blood on her clothing.
John did not test positive for GSR.
When John died, he was wearing earplugs, had three pillows under his head, and his legs were flexed in a sleeping/fetal position. Prosecutors would contend that it is illogical that he would shoot himself in that position.
The firearm must have been far from a bullet-tear in the pillow when it was fired, because if the gun had come in contact with the pillow, or been in very close proximity, it would have produced a smoke and burn pattern suggestive of such proximity. This led the court to conclude that the gun was discharged far from the victims head
Ann Benders height is five-three, and she weighed about 84 pounds at the time of Johns death, well under her healthy weight of around 110 - 115 pounds.
John Benders height was six-three and he weighed in excess of 250 pounds.
The disparity in strength was so significant that Anns story of wrestling for the gun is improbable.
The prosecutions theory about motive was hinted at but not explicitly stated: money, Ann wanted the jewels. On the morning after Johns death, investigators found more than 3,000 gems inside the home with an estimated value of about 20 million dollars.
After more than a week of testimony, a Costa Rica criminal court convicted Ann Maxin Patton, 43, of shooting to death her husband John Felix Bender, 44.
Anns story:
In a nutshell, John was insane and suicidal - ultimately he shot himself.
The period preceding Johns death:
In the months preceding his death, when Ann was off seeing a doctor, John sent her an e-mail:
Im losing my f***ing mind right now. First sick again and now this s**t. Today is a total f***ing nightmare and tomorrow will get worse. Just when I was feeling I could finally learn to be happy, now I get this and I want to be dead. I feel so f***ing horrible. I want to kill everyone and then me. I deserve to die.
Two months later, she sent an email to John's parents telling them "For the first time in 11 years, we find ourselves in the unfortunate position of both being depressed at the same time." Two days, later John was dead.
Ann describes that period this way: Every day, during the last six weeks, we would sit down and he would take all the medications we had and put them into piles and say, OK, when am I gonna start taking the pills? There would be these suicide dress rehearsals. And if I went along with them, we got through the day.
Ann says John was convinced that the water in the area could cure her. He also set up his own treatment regimen: an unknown concoction administered daily by injection.
He was psychotic, Ann says. He started experimenting with me. He was injecting me with certain things. And I allowed this to happen.
Anns skin was covered with open boils, welts, and infections. Most of the sores turned out to be needle marks from the injections John gave her.
The night of Johns death:
John was talking. He was saying some things. I dont remember exactly what he was saying. He had a routine ritual. He had to have his pillows arranged a particular way. I was already in bed. I was falling asleep, kind of in and out, and I heard him say something like, You dont know how it feels to wake up with your spouse half dead next to you.
I opened my eyes and I sawand once one has seen it, you know what it isthose two little dots that are the sight of the gun. The glow. And I realized that he had one of the handguns in his hands. And he was lying back on the pillows. And he had the gun pointed at his face as he was talking.
When I saw the gun I was stunned, and my immediate reaction was to get up on my knees and try to reach for it, she went on. The gun was loaded and cocked. I reached for the gun with both hands, and I was up on my knees. And I did put my hands on the gun. And the gun slipped through my hands. And it went off.
Ann said she ran around to Johns side of the bed, saw blood dripping to the floor, picked up a two-way radio to call for help, and turned on a light. I think I was in shock, because I was running aroundwhich, given the state I was in, I shouldnt have been able to do. But I remember I did, like, four laps around the bed as I was waiting for somebody to come up and help me. At this point, I already knew he was dead, because Id heard that death rattlethat last breath.
From another interview:
Ann contracted Lyme disease and walked with a cane. She allegedly has permanent nerve damage in her hands and feet.
That night, she wasn't able to walk and John carried her to the elevator of their home.
Ann says they followed their nightly routine. John turned out the lights and they got into bed. Ann says she began to doze off.
I was lying on my belly, face down. My head facing towards him and I opened my eyes because I heard him talking.
Though it was dark, Ann says she could see that John had a gun pointed at his head. Ann says she took action almost instinctively.
I reared up on my knees, lunged towards him. And in the process of putting my hands or hand to his, we fell toward each other. He had the gun loaded and cocked - we fell towards each other and the gun went off.
Another account:
Q. Did you touch the gun?
A. BENDER: No, his hands were too big.
Q. Did you remember if it was pointing at himself with one hand or with both hands?
A. I just grabbed both his hands.
On cross examination, Ann told the prosecutor that she lost her grip on John's hands, started falling back and the gun went off.
Ann's interview with CBS 48 Hours:
On Jan. 7, 2010, Ann Bender said it was nearly midnight when she got in bed and turned out the lights. She had just drifted off to sleep when, "I opened my eyes and I saw the outline of the trigger of the gun ... and he had it pointed at his head ... at himself..." she said.
Horrified, Ann said she recognized their 9mm Ruger pistol.
"From what I could tell he was holding it with both hands," she said.
"And what'd you do?" Spencer asked.
"I got up on my knees and reared towards him and I tried to grab the gun," said Ann.
"Were you able to get it?"
"No. I was able to get my hands around his and the gun slipped and it went off," she replied.
Just minutes later, their security guard, Oswaldo Aguilar, was first on the scene.
"She said to me, 'I tried to stop him and I couldn't do it,'" he told "48 Hours."
Asked if there was a long struggle, an emotional Ann told Spencer, "No ... I remember it as being instantaneous. It couldn't have been any more than two seconds."
"When it went off, who was holding it?" Spencer asked of the gun.
"I don't think anyone was holding it," Ann replied.
"How does a gun go off when no one's holding it?" Spencer pressed.
"I think that it fell. He dropped it," Ann said. "I never touched the gun."
"Did you move anything, touch anything, or change anything in that room?" Spencer asked Ann.
"The only thing I remember doing is using the radio, unlocking the elevator and touching John," she replied.
"But as far as the gun?"
"The shell casings?"
"I don't remember," Ann replied.
"The pillow ..."
"I don't remember anything," said Ann.
Reasons why Anns story is improbable:
Why would John choose to shoot himself in bed next to his wife who he presumably loved? After all, she would awaken to find brain tissue and blood spatter on her person as well as the general horrific sight of her husband with a gunshot wound to his head lying in a bloody mess next to her. Would John really wish to subject Ann to this? He lived in a massive home with many thousands of square feet in which to find a more private place to commit suicide.
Why would he be in a sleeping/fetal position with earplugs in his ears if he was about to shoot himself in the head?
Why would John make it a virtual certainty that Ann would at least be arrested if not convicted of his death by committing suicide in such ambiguous circumstances and with no suicide note to help alleviate suspicion. Ann, for example, was out of town a few months prior why not do it at that time? After all, John was no fool and was considered a genius by many.
How probable is it that Ann would awaken at the precise time that John was presumably about to pull the trigger?
How did John commit suicide and end up with no GSR while Ann has GSR on her hands, clothes and some napkins with which she was wiping her hands? (This was not addressed by the Eikelenbooms - the forensic team hired by CBS 48 Hours.)
Why would John choose a gun to commit suicide if, according to Ann, the suicide rehearsals all involved pills? (And, of course, we have only Anns word that there were such rehearsals.)
Given the vast difference in strength is it feasible that Ann would have been successful in pulling Johns hand back so far that the gunshot would have been to the back of the head?
Would it not be more probable that John would have turned to face Ann if she lunged toward him and attempted to grab the gun rather than turn away as would have had to have been the case for the entry wound to be where it was found?
How did the gunshot tear the pillow beneath his head? The Eikelenbooms attempted to recreate the suicide-with-struggle scenario but they did not address the pillow issue. I believe it to be the most damning evidence in favor of the theory of homicide. Richard Eikelenbooms comment, I believe it favors the prosecution, is a huge understatement.
The effort by the Eikelenbooms did account for the entry wound and explained how the gun could have fallen to the floor near Johns left hand. Its all for naught, however, if the pillow is not explained - and there is no way it could fit into their recreation.
I considered the possibility of Johns hand being pulled back and toward the center of the bed which would account for the entry wound as well, but in that scenario the gun would have ended up in the middle of the bed and while it might produce a bullet-tear in the pillow, a shot at such close range would have produced a pronounced smoke and burn pattern which was simply not present.
I should note that those who have voiced their support of Ann, notably her brother, have explained the evidence pointing to Ann by concluding that she was essentially framed by the police who moved items and staged the scene.
Its easy to explain virtually anything with such a defense. However, not only did Ann say she did not move anything or manipulate the scene, she never claimed that the scene was manipulated by anyone else including the police.
Members of the security team hired by the Benders also had an opportunity to come forward and say that that the evidence presented at trial did not reflect the scene as they witnessed it, but no one came forward. Therefore, I must assume that the crime scene photos did accurately depict the area.
There were some horrendous mistakes in the investigation, some of which were highlighted by the Eikelenbooms and others. Perhaps the most obvious was the failure to fingerprint the gun.
For those suggesting that the police and others were corrupt opportunists that took advantage of the situation to seize nearly everything of value in the home, including the main attraction, the gems - that may be true.
Even that, however, doesnt prove that they manipulated the scene, and Ann isnt guilty.
Id like to believe that Ann isnt guilty but there seems to be no plausible explanation other than homicide.
Murder or Suicide?
Gunshots Distance determination
October 24, 2014, 3:05 pm, Fri Oct 24 15:05:13 UTC 2014 #2Senior Member
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Mrder vs suicide
Cynic, this is a wonder! How many times have we seen some botched crime scene evidence. The pillow seems to be the missing answer. Her trying to get the gun seems illogical too. They mention that she has trouble with her hands and feet but I would think that adrenal would kick in with that first sight of the gun in his hand and work for her. JMO It's interesting that the government gets to keep all of the assets like jewels and property too I guess. Interesting case. Thanks.
His repeated thoughts of suicide as well as hers show a very unstable couple. She no doubt got in inherit most of his fortune. It all seems more like murder to me."When are we going to get our heads out of the sand and understand that sometimes really nice people who look good on the outside are dastardly on the inside." Wendy Murphy, former prosecutor, MA
October 27, 2014, 9:06 pm, Mon Oct 27 21:06:47 UTC 2014 #3Member
Hey Zoomama,
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Thanks for having a look at this one.
I do think that the pillow is the crucial piece of the puzzle.
Youre absolutely right about lunging for a loaded and cocked gun, (if it happened, of course.) Pretty low odds of that ending well.
Ann would not have inherited anything per se, she would have continued to be the caretaker of Boracayan, which is funded by the trust. The jewels, however, they were fair game.
There were two winners here, the Costa Rican government who pillaged the home of all valuables, and the manager of the trust that John established, Juan de Dios Alvarez, who allegedly helped himself to about 40 million dollars.
October 29, 2014, 2:39 am, Wed Oct 29 2:39:48 UTC 2014 #4
Wow, cynic, I thought you had posted this at WS. Moab has told me to use that "New Posts" button for years....
This looks like another amazing collection of evidence from a truly puzzling case, so thanks for all your trouble, cynic. Thanks for putting this together. I'll check it out, as I saw a TV documentary on this not too long ago. Of course, they're never as thorough as you, so I'm sure you'll clear up some of the confusion for me.
"University of Colorado Law Professor Paul Campos declared the letter a 'reckless exoneration.' He went on to state, 'Everyone knows that relative immunity from criminal conviction is something money can buy.
Apparently another thing it can buy is an apology for even being suspected of a crime you probably already would have been convicted of committing if you happened to be poor.'"
Bloomies underwear model:
3 Dimensional
My opinions, nothing more.
May 14, 2015, 10:54 am, Thu May 14 10:54:54 UTC 2015 #5FFJ Senior Member
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Glad I'm not a detective!
cynic, I felt like I was reading a detective book with your posts. Have you ever written one? If not, you should! Bet you it would be a real good one!
I still like to drop in to FFJ and read all your posts, although I'm not involved any more;
they are always very interesting. Thank you!
elleelle: The RST can't handle the truth!
Just my opinion.
February 7, 2016, 9:48 am, Sun Feb 7 9:48:47 UTC 2016 #6FFJ Senior Member
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Koldcase, What was the title of the TV documentary?elle: The RST can't handle the truth!
Just my opinion.
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text:
An Edmonton couple who spent more than $3,000 on separate failed trips to see mercurial musician Kanye West are just two of the thousands of fans riled by the second same-day cancellation of his Vancouver show in recent weeks.
Thursday night's concert was called off due to an accident causing irreparable damage to the Yeezus Tour's massive video screen, making it "impossible to put on the show," according to West's record company.
One week earlier, fans were devastated by a last-minute postponement, which The Sun later learned was due to bad planning at the start of an ambitious North American tour.
This latest letdown had out-of-town concertgoers taking to social media in droves to vent about spending hundreds of dollars to once again be cut out of a night with West and his opener, vaunted lyricist Kendrick Lamar.
Edmonton university student Thuhuong Nguyen, 20, and her boyfriend had just checked in to their Richmond hotel Thursday when they found out that a truck carrying the 18-metre oval LED screen got in an accident on its way up from Monday's concert in Los Angeles.
The screen and truss used to hold it were damaged "beyond repair," according to a news release from West's record company.
"Yesterday we were actually talking about it because he just cancelled the Anaheim show for (Friday)," Nguyen told The Sun Thursday. "We were like, 'If the concert's cancelled, we're gonna be so mad because we paid so much money just to come back.'"
Their losses include $900 floor seats, $1,000 for five nights' accommodation at the River Rock Casino and $2,400 for four return flights from Edmonton.
Making matters worse, Thursday night's cancelled gig was her third failed attempt to see West, after he cancelled an Edmonton appearance a few years back.
The show was intended to be an anniversary gift from her boyfriend.
"All I gotta say is, I'm really disappointed in Kanye," she said.
A Rogers Arena spokesperson was unavailable for comment.
Pacific National Exhibition spokeswoman Laura Ballance, who has been involved with many large concerts, said there are two types of cancellations. When the artist does something like not show up, they are at fault, and may be found liable for incurred losses if no date is rescheduled. Cancellations due to "weather, venue problems or technical problems" are different and "I think fans treat that differently and the business side of the industry treats it differently," she added.
"None of these organizations are small. Whether it's Rogers Arena or Kanye's company, they'll all be well insured," Ballance said. "As with any situation where you have something that doesn't fulfil ... that's what you have insurance for."
In the release explaining the second cancellation, his record company Island Def Jam said: "West will not compromise on bringing the show, as it was originally envisioned and designed, to his fans," and that the "Yeezus Tour will be postponed until these essential pieces can be reengineered and refabricated."
Upcoming shows in Anaheim, Denver and Minneapolis were also cancelled, with further details "to be announced shortly," the release stated.
The rapper called off the initial Oct. 20 date just hours before showtime due to "unforeseen circumstances."
Behind the scenes, Seattle stagehands told The Sun that the intricate set — which includes a 10-metre-high mountain that a mock Jesus ascends — was a logistical nightmare that needed time and practice to put up and take down.


text:
Flood damaged properties to be repaired
The Moose Lake City Council met on Wednesday, April 10 at 6:30 p.m. in the Council Chambers at City Hall.
As a result of the flooding of last June, Carlton County has included new language in their Hazard Mitigation Plan. The additions will include property acquisition and flash flooding to allow Carlton County to be eligible for grant funding. The council approved this request.
City Engineer Joe Rhein and Moose Lake Flood Manager Tom Paull gave a report on the plans for moving ahead with repairing 34 of the 58 flood damaged sites. Current understanding of the damage estimates is the primary consideration for the scope of work to be performed. Estimated cost of the repairs is a secondary consideration. The Federal Emergency Management Agency (FEMA) reimbursement to the city is based on actual costs incurred. Therefore, as long as the scope of work performed is within the scope of work authorized by FEMA, the reimbursement will be made to the city based on the actual cost of the work, regardless of the estimated amount. Work will proceed on the selected sites.
There are nine damaged sites where the scope of work between the city and FEMA estimates vary considerably. Supplemental information on these sites was submitted April 1 to FEMA for reconsideration. FEMA representatives will be asked to revisit these sites in an attempt to expedite the process. Updates on these sites will be provided once a response has been received.
City administrator hired
A vote was held approving Pat Oman as the new Moose Lake City Administrator. He will begin his formal duties on May 20. Oman expressed excitement at beginning this new endeavor and is looking forward to serving the community of Moose Lake.
Water cross races set
Dean Weske requested approval from the council to hold water cross races at Lakeside Park. He also requested approval for a beer garden managed by the Moose Lake Municipal Liquor Store and a car show. He described the car show as a showing of the poor man's Corvette, including rat rods and more. The Scouts will do the flag ceremony at the beginning of the event and will also clean up after the events. The council approved his request. The event will be held on the weekend of June 1 and 2.
Road improvements
Rhein proposed the city apply for a $10 million TED (Transportation Economic Development Program) grant. Applications must be received by April 30. Rhein also stated that the Department of Transportation will require two left turn lanes off of Highway 73 to the new retail area east of ALCO. The monies will be used to construct required turn lanes. A public agency, such as the city of Moose Lake, must apply for the grant, however, the contractor investment will be acceptable as the private funds match for the grant. Decisions of grant allocations will be made by June 6. The council voted to approve the resolution to authorize the grant application.
The council discussed and approved Resolution 13-04-01, Supporting Legislation Authorizing the Establishment of Municipal Street Improvement Districts. This resolution supports enabling legislation that would authorize cities to establish street improvement districts to fund municipal street maintenance, construction and reconstruction. This authority would allow cities to collect fees from property owners within a district to fund municipal street maintenance, construction, and reconstruction and facility upgrades. If enacted, this legislation would provide cities with an additional tool to build and maintain city streets.
Wastewater permit
Rhein presented information regarding the permit for wastewater, which expires on May 30. Discharge from the Moose Lake Wastewater Treatment Facility ultimately reaches Lake St. Croix. Lake St. Croix was placed on the federal list of impaired waters in 2008 due to excess nutrients. A total maximum daily load (TMDL) study was performed on Lake St. Croix and was approved on August 8, 2012. The TMDL for Lake St. Croix has determined a maximum limit for phosphorous that the Moose Lake facility can discharge. The limit is 684 kilograms (kg) per year. Currently, 3,412 kg/year of phosphorous flows into the Moose Lake facility. The facility partially removes it, but the current limit that flows out of the facility is still 1,235 kg/year. This is nearly twice the limit.
Rhein suggested the city send a proposed compliance letter to the Minnesota Pollution Control Agency (MPCA) indicating a five-year plan for meeting the standard.
The other naturally occurring element is mercury. The most common illustration of mercury pollution is an elevated level of mercury in fish. Moose Lake is currently achieving 97 percent removal of mercury from wastewater, which is very good.
Facility upgrades will not be necessary, however, the strategy to address mercury is to reduce the amount that enters the waste stream. This will involve working with those specific users most likely to generate mercury as part of their waste, such as medical and dental facilities.
Homeowners and businesses can help with phosphorous in wastewater by monitoring their detergent ingredients. Washing machines and dishwasher detergents are primary sources of residential waste. The use of lawn fertilizers is also a source of phosphorous.
City sales tax
Councilor Curt Yort reported on the city sales tax endeavor at the Legislature. Mayor Ted Shaw, Yort and Paull testified before the Legislature Tax Committee. The sales tax request is already in a House Bill; this presentation was for the state Senate. Senator Rod Skow, Beltrami, District 2 (DFL), a member of the Senate Tax Committee, spoke up at the meeting and pointed out to committee members that Moose Lake is one of the smaller Minnesota cities impacted by having a state facility within their city limits. He pointed out that small Minnesota cities that have state facilities in them have a significant loss of tax base, which affects their ability meet city needs.
Other business
As part of his Eagle Scout endeavor, Darby Hollis presented a proposal for placing barbeque grills in the park and miniature libraries around the city of Moose Lake. He is asking the council for a letter of endorsement for these projects. Hollis also presented this plan to the Park Board and was met with a great deal of enthusiasm. The city council approved his request. Mike Peterson commented, "We are here to better our youth."
Moose Lake Police Chief Bryce Bogenholm gave his monthly report. He spoke about the stop sign located at Hartman Drive and Jon Brown Drive. He observed that the stop sign was set back too far from the intersection. The stop sign will be moved ahead about 20 feet.
A joint meeting of the Moose Lake Planning Commission and Moose Lake City Council will be held on Tuesday, April 23, at 5 p.m. in the City Council Chambers.
The regular Moose Lake City Council meeting will be held Wednesday, May 8 at 6:30 p.m. in the City Council Chambers.


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Just as President Franklin D. Roosevelt connected with individual citizens via radio through his "Fireside chat" broadcasts, we believe politicians in the 21st century can similarly build close relationships with constituents using the latest technologies and strategies. Hence the name Fireside21.
Founded by former congressional staffers, Fireside21 is a company that creates easy-to-use Web-based tools that help legislators keep in close contact with their constituents. We produce attractive, highly functional Web sites, improved methods of delivering emails to the right constituents, and a simplified method of managing the overwhelming volume of constituent letters, emails and requests that are sent to elected officials.
We have been providing Web services to congressional offices since we launched our first Web site content management platform in 2001. Since then, we have expanded and enhanced our Web-based tools to help offices send out email newsletters and targeted issue alerts. In 2009, we launched the most extensive expansion to date: our much-anticipated Constituent Relationship Management (CRM) tools.
Life on the Hill is busy and stressful enough. The last thing you need is for your Web site, email list or constituent mail software to be a hassle to use. To help you avoid the kind of headaches other tools can cause, we have designed our products to be straightforward, intuitive and user-friendly.


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The pessimism that has pushed Apple's stock to its lowest level in nearly a year is "painful," a portfolio manager who owns the stock told CNBC Wednesday, adding that he hopes next week's earnings will salve investors' frayed nerves.
This week, Apple's shares sank below $500 for the first time since February 2012. Channing Smith, co-portfolio manager of the Capital Advisers Growth Fund, told CNBC's "Squawk on the Street" that the focus on Apple's margins is souring sentiment against the tech giant's stock.
"Back in September, Apple could do no wrong, and today they can do no right," the longtime Apple shareholder said. He said next week's earnings report could help restore confidence.
"If you get any type of the beat, we think you'll see a relief rally," Smith said, adding that the stock's fair value was well above $600.


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Helpful Websites
Caring for a loved one with a serious illness can be exhausting and challenging - and may be one of the most rewarding things you'll ever do. You might not know what to expect, or just what to do, but you should be aware that there is help available to you. There is a famous quote by Plato that says, "Human behavior flows from three main sources: desire, emotion and knowledge." We want to help our loved one because we love them and knowing more about the disease, knowing more about what resources you have available to you is key. Below is a list of helpful websites to help you through your journey.


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Bevel Gear Grinding Machine
The new Phoenix 280G Bevel Gear Grinding Machine establishes a new benchmark for bevel gear grinding for gears up to 280mm in diameter with a design that's reliable, highly productive and easy to operate and maintain. The new Phoenix 280G has the cleanest work chamber in the industry. There are no rails, wires, or pipes in the work chamber to collect SWARF, keeping the chamber clean for low preventative maintenance. In addition, the machine offers rapid set-up and all major set-up items can be completed without tools (tool-less), including the grinding wheel, coolant header and work holding. The coolant header has small blocks that can easily be swapped out by hand, while the grinding wheel can be released hydraulically.
Some of the other significant features of the Phoenix 280G are:
Reliability – A well-designed work chamber ensures optimum SWARF evacuation. The wheel dresser, for example, 'telescopes' completely out of the work chamber to reduce the wiring/piping typically found there. The tool-less, quick-change coolant header design features a laser guidance device that makes part-to-part pipe alignment more efficient and repeatable.
Unsurpassed productivity – High-speed direct-drive spindles combine with quick-change wheel, arbor and coolant header designs and automatic stock dividing (simultaneously with wheel dressing) to deliver faster floor-to-floor times.
Extremely accurate – Featuring the extreme rigidity of the Phoenix Monolithic column, cast from advanced polymer composite material to achieve very high thermal stability and damping characteristics.
Easy to operate and maintain – Equipped with powerful Fanuc 30i or Siemens 840D CNC, and Gleason's user-friendly software empowers even less experienced operators; Phoenix design simplifies installation, integration with robots and gantry-type automation, and maintenance.
Automatic stock divider- The 280G's automatic stock divider, mounted in close proximity to the workspindle, helps ensure consistently high gear quality. The unit automatically determines the tooth slot position of the pre-finished gear to provide accurate and reliable stock division, helping eliminate operator errors.
- for gears up to 280mm in diameter
- easy to operate and maintain
- well-designed work chamber


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Editor, the Record:
Editor, the Record:
As the hue and cry are raised for gun control, perhaps we are missing the mark. For several years now, the media has become increasingly more graphic in its depiction of violence. Video games, such as the "Grand Theft Auto" series, "Mortal Kombat, "Bully," "Doom," "Carmageddon," "Call of Duty" and "Assassin's Creed," among many others, desensitize kids to the effects of violence.
The brainwashing caused by a constant barrage of violence and the accrual of points for wreaking violence in these games very well may be a crucial ingredient in why these mass murders take place. Add that to epidemic of suicides among young people, and even some adults — maybe we should look at what is causing the hopelessness that drives them to strike out at others and then themselves.
Controlling guns is an easy slogan, but not the answer to a deeper problem that appears to be plaguing our society. Maybe it's time we reinstitute morality, manners and a respect for life back into our daily lives, and start seriously holding people who violate the law, regardless of their status life, accountable and responsible for their actions, instead of giving them a slap on the wrist.


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The official Cheshunt Rugby Club app
No match report has been published for this fixture yet.
Rosedale Sports Club Andrew Lane Cheshunt Hertfordshire EN7 6TB View with Google Maps
This website is part of the Pitchero Rugby Union network. Create your own free Rugby Union club website with Pitchero.
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Last week, we took a trip to Canada to try out the 2013 XJ, only the second car Jaguar has equipped with all-wheel drive.
With the increased capability, Jaguar hopes it can compete for drivers who live in regions where snow and ice make winter driving hazardous.
Mercedes-Benz, Audi, Cadillac, Lexus, Porsche, and BMW all offer cars with all-wheel drive. So Jaguar is playing catch-up.
To prove that its new ride is up to par, Jaguar brought us to snowy Canada for a day of driving at Mecaglisse, a motorsports complex north of Montreal.
With a variety of tracks to try and a team of professional drivers to guide us, we got to see just what the new XJ can do.
Read our full review of the AWD XJ, or see below for photos of our snowy drive.
Disclosure: Jaguar Land Rover paid for our travel and lodging expenses to drive the Land Rover 2 and Jaguar XJ.


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Needs a new meme. Hence "Techno#Genea" . I am putting my hashtags to work inside and not necessarily at the beginning. Software will just have to catch up.
Techno#Genea is my meme to talk about technology + genealogy – just lose the "logy".
Today's Techno#Genea is on G E N E T E K A . Geneteka added a new and I think very useful feature. Between the search fields and Search (Wyszukaj) button and the rows of data (i.e. result-set) are two lines:
'Parafie w promieniu 15km:' (Parishes within a 15km radius) of the parish you were searching within [in my case, Biechow] and 'Lata: ' (Years). In the case of the parishes, it gave me six: Beszowa, Oleśnica, Pacanów, Stopnica, Szczebrzusz, Zborówek. These are actually clickable too. You can start by searching all places, in my case you'd find 3 pages of ELIASZ (155 results) in the result set of BIRTHS. So to limit what I am looking at, I can go back to the Ksiega field and select from the drop down menu, "Biechow (pow. buski) – (U) 1810-1820" to look at just the Births (U) for Biechow and I get a much smaller result-set of just 9 records. But look at the two new lines! I can click on PACANOW link and the result set changes to 58 (across 2 pages) births in Pacanow. This is #AWESOME ! Now you can do proximity searches, just by clicking on links of parish names. It also helps to teach you a bit of geography nearby to your ancestral village/parish.
Now just a word to the wise. This is only for records that have been indexed. It is not ALL records available and not all parishes are shown (just those with indexed records). So in the case of Biechow, you will not see Swiniary [today] as one of the parishes within the 15km radius even though it is only about 2-3km. This is because Geneteka has not indexed any records in Swiniary. So you can do proximity searches and see if there are any records in the surrounding parishes for your family name. Pretty cool feature for the tech-experts at: genealodzy.pl .
That's my meme – Techno#Genea ™ and I am sticking to it.


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The Dysfunction and Corruption of Our Healthcare System, Its Damage to the National Economy and other Basic Healthcare Matters (Guest Post) Describing a system that is destroying global competitiveness of American business, that violates fundamental insurance risk principles, and that has inherent conflicts of interest preventing quality national health care delivery and cost efficiency; and proposing a solution.
The history of US per-capita petroleum consumption will surprise you. A graph and other data show US per-capita consumption of petroleum is down substantially from the 1970s, has been very stable since 1983 because of CAFE standards, and has fluctuated only slightly with retail price changes.
The American Dream died in February 1973. With graphs showing stagnation of inflation-adjusted middle class incomes since the 1970s after strong and steady post-WWII growth
The Citigroup Plutonomy Memos With key quotations from documents that are being disappeared. This post has been the #1 response to a Google search for "plutonomy memo."
Comparative Advantage—The Unicorn of Free Trade Collection of sources and analyses demonstrating that the assumptions of classic Ricardian trade theory rarely if ever align with real-world conditions.
U.S. aircraft carrier and 15 other Navy ships sunk in the Strait of Hormuz in 5-10 minutes Results of US war games when attacked by large numbers of speed boats and missiles such as Iran has in the hands of Revolutionary Guards reputed to be "cowboys," and suggesting still other ways we might accidentally get into a war with Iran.
Two hypotheses for why US CEO pay is so high Charts show that US CEO pay is about double that in other advanced countries, meaning there is either a shortage of talent in the US or the US CEO pay market is broken.
Crony Capitalism is the common enemy of the Tea Party and the Occupy Movement. Excerpts from a Chicago business school prof's op ed and a link to an earlier Realitybase post making a similar point.
Wages for college graduates in the cross hairs of US business. How US employers are driving down domestic wages by offshoring, importing guest workers, and deliberately creating an oversupply of American college grads.
US job creation has been declining since April 2000 and is now in freefall. Discussion around a dramatic graph showing the US employment-to-population ratio strongly increasing until 2000 followed by the devastating loss in 10 years of all gains made in the previous 20 years.


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Photos: NYPD High Wire Act on Brooklyn Bridge
It was a high wire act with an amazing backdrop. Members of the NYPD Emergency Service Unit conducted a training exercise Tuesday on the Brooklyn Bridge. Photographer Ramsay de Give captured images of the NYPD members scaling the iconic bridge's thick steel cables on the clear spring day.