text:
Windows - Other
Fruity Loops Studio V8 0 0 XXL Producer Edition + Crck
Download your torrents safely! And Anonymously!
Torrent info
Name:Fruity Loops Studio V8 0 0 XXL Producer Edition + Crck
Infohash: 454EA663DA2645542EA036DB3933B9FAA8D70AFA
Total Size: 98.03 MB
Magnet: Magnet Download
Seeds: 0
Leechers: 0
Stream: Watch Full Movie @ Movie4u
Last Updated: 2015-07-31 04:11:17 (Update Now)
Torrent added: 2008-08-18 06:40:25
Torrent Files List
Crack.rar (Size: 98.03 MB) (Files: 3)
Crack.rar71.14 KB
flstudio.8.0_install.exe97.81 MB
Share Heaven.jpg148.83 KB
trackerleech seeds
Torrent description
FL Studio is the most complete virtual studio currently available. It will play any sample file (wav), generator (softsynth), VSTi & DXi) or midi instrument you feed it. You will be creating wav, mp3 or midi songs or loops only minutes after launching it.
FL Studio is a Digital Audio Workstation (DAW) for Windows PCs (or Intel Mac/ Bootcamp). With a full feature-set and aggressive pricing (inc. lifetime free updates), FL Studio may be your ideal DAW! FL Studio can be used as a scratchpad for your ideas or to produce completely mastered tracks ready for publication. It's up to you!
FL Studio is a fully featured, open-architecture music creation and production environment for PC. No extra software is required to produce any style of music, as a complete kit of instruments and studio tools is included in the cost of the package. With the included plugins, sounds and tools the user can create complete songs, backing tracks, loops or sizzling beats. Completed songs can be saved to WAV, MP3, OGG, MIDI, ZIP or the native project format (.FLP).
Featurs of FruityLoops Studio 8:
Make virtually any sound. FL8 includes 29 virtual synthesizers covering acoustic/synthetic bass, electric guitar and plucked string simulation, sampler tools including piano, general sample playback, and beat-slicing, and a range of synthesis techniques (subtractive, modelling, FM, granular and additive). With FL Studios newest addition, FL Synthmaker - a fully modular environment, you can now create & share your own FL instruments, effects & dashboards without the need to write basic code.
Audio Recording & Editing
Capture audio from a single vocalist or a full symphony orchestra. FL8 can record up to 64 simultaneous tracks of audio. The Playlist workspace can contain an unlimited number of audio tracks and allows you to arrange discrete audio events in any order or position the creative process dictates with complete flexibility. Audio tools allow the user to time-stretch, pitch-shift, beat-slice, chop, edit and creatively destruct audio. FL8 audio editing is further enhanced with Edison, the recording wave editor. Edison is a fully integrated audio editing and recording tool with spectral analysis, convolution reverb, loop-recording, loop-construction tools and more… FL Studio imports/exports WAV, MP3 and OGG formats.
Record musical performances and ideas in the most logical way. FL8 functions as both a pattern and track based sequencer, depending on user preferences. Tools include an unlimited track Step-sequencer, an industry-leading Piano Roll and Automation Clips. FL Studio supports MIDI and input from all standard Controllers.
FL8 is the fastest way from your brain to your speakers.
Determine your own project design. In FL8, you decide how your project will be laid out. Unlike the competition, FL8's Playlist is a totally flexible and virtually unbounded space where Note Pattern, Audio and Automation data can be arranged and edited to suit your creative ideas and preferred workflow.
The most powerful mixer in its class. FL8 includes an industry-leading 64 stereo track mixer. Each track can hold a stack of 8 effects (VST, DX or FL) and, if desired, be routed to any of the other 64 tracks or one of 4 dedicated 'send' channels. The 44 included effects plugins span - Maximization, Limiting, Compression, Delay, Distortion, Equalization (graphic & parametriuc), Filtering, Phasing, Flanging, Chorus, Vocoding and Reverb. These will take you from the creative broad-brush effects like reverb, through to the minutia of the mastering process with multiband compression/limiting and parametric EQ.
Key new features and changes. First, FL Studio 8 carries forward everything that is included in FL Studio 7 plus many more features:
• FL Synthmaker is a fully modular environment where you can create & share your own FL instruments, effects & dashboards, all without the need to write basic code in a modular 'plug-n-go' workspace.
• One-click-recording using Edison wave editor plugin. Edison ia a fully integrated audio editing and recording tool with spectral analysis, convolution reverb, loop-recording and more.
• Slicex, the powerhouse drumloop slicer & re-arranging tool.
• Soundgoodizer is a 'maximizer-enhancer' plugin based on the Maximus sound-process engine.
• Fruity Limiter for maximizing & compressing final mixes or individual tracks. Free to all users.
• Better integration with controllers. FL Studio can permanently learn and remember links to external controllers with the new 'multilink' function + 'Override generic links' option.
• Wave Candy, a flexible audio analysis and visualization tool with Oscilloscope, Spectrum Analyzer and Peak Meter.
• Sinc interpolation now faster (64 point sinc now usable in real-time, depending on CPU)
• Rendering with improved latency compensation
• Score logger, records all MIDI & note activity for instant recall. Everything you play, whether or not recording is active, is captured and ready to be dumped to the Piano roll.
• Directwave Player, broaden your musical palette with downloadable sound banks and multi-sample sets.
• Recording filter, to select Audio, Automation or Note data recording sessions, independently or in any combination.
• Slip editing and resizing tool has been added to the Playlist for all clip types.
• Multi-core safe plugins are threaded for performance gain on multi-core CPUs.
• A 'Selected mixer track' has been added to the Mixer. The selected mixer track is routed there for better integration with visual effects or a recording Edison.
• FL8 supports track-based sequencing in the Playlist. Pattern Clips present sequence data as Audio and/or Automation Clips
• An 'Online Panel', to keep users updated with content and patches.
related torrents
Torrent namehealth leech seeds Size
Fruity Loops Studio 8 XXL Producer Ed RC3 + Reg0 0 97.93 MB 0
Fruity Loops 8 0 XXL Producer Edition Final + Patch0 0 97.88 MB 0
Fruity Loops Studio 8 XXL Producer Edition +Fix0 0 98.11 MB 0
Fruity Loops Studio 8 XXL Producer Edition2 5 97.84 MB 0
Fruity Loops Studio 8 XXL Producer Edition +Fix2 2 98.22 MB 0


text:
Windows - CD/DVD Tools
Magic ISO Maker 5 4 + Serial
Download your torrents safely! And Anonymously!
Torrent info
Name:Magic ISO Maker 5 4 + Serial
Infohash: 9BD592830F3A995773A248AA8919A53A62D7A6D2
Total Size: 2.63 MB
Magnet: Magnet Download
Seeds: 2
Leechers: 4
Stream: Watch Full Movie @ Movie4u
Last Updated: 0000-00-00 00:00:00 (Update Now)
Torrent added: 2008-08-18 00:36:26
Alternatives:Magic ISO Maker 5 4 + Serial Torrents
Torrent Files List
Magic ISO Maker 5.4 + Serial.rar (Size: 2.63 MB) (Files: 1)
Magic ISO Maker 5.4 + Serial.rar2.63 MB
Announce URL: http://vip.tracker.thepiratebay.org/announce
Torrent description
MagicISO is a powerful CD/DVD image file creating/editing/extracting tool. It can open / create / edit /extract CD/DVD image files, and it can convert bin to iso and back. as well as make ISO file from DVD/CD-ROM or hard disk, and handle bootable information at meanwhile. It can also convert BIN or any other format file created by CD burning software (Such as Nero-Burning ROM, Easy CD Create) or virtual DVD/CD-ROM driver software (such as Daemon-tools) to standard ISO format.MagicISO has ability to create ISO image file. You can directly add/delete/rename files or folder in CD image file(s) with MagicISO. MagicISO can handle up to 10G large sizes so that user can extract / edit / open DVD image files in ease.
related torrents
Torrent namehealth leech seeds Size
Magic Iso Maker + Serial Number >(cso To Iso)0 0 2.00 MB 0
Magic Iso Maker + Serial (working)0 0 2.00 MB 0
Magic ISO Maker 5 4 with serial4405 6069 38.84 MB 0
Magic Iso Maker 5 4 With Serial Rar3020 5827 2.69 MB 0

subset: commoncrawl


text:
Whether they call it global warming, climate change or even global cooling, more and more Americans are taking a stand on one side or the other of this hotly debated issue.
According to a survey published last year by the Yale Project on Climate Change Communication and the George Mason University Center for Climate Change Communication, 66 percent of Americans believe that global warming is happening, with 42 percent concerned that it will harm people in the United States between now and the next 10 years. Forty-five percent of Americans believe the country will be harmed by global warming in the next 50 years, with only 16 percent saying that global warming will never harm the U.S.
The arguments on either side of the issue can be broken into three main categories. Those who do not believe in climate change, or at least in man-made climate change, are considered "climate skeptics." Groups concerned about climate change are primarily split between two camps; those who want to prevent further change and those who want to adapt to changes that do occur.
Those who seek to prevent further climate change, such as The Climate Group, an international non-profit, believe that slowing climate change will help the economy, workforces and improve overall qualities of life. Climate-conscious groups see climate change as a threat to global ways of life, with predictions that weather extremes will be more common, ecosystems will be challenged and ice melt will cause sea-level rise that will lead to flooding. Many of the issues that are cited as causes for global warming, such as an increase in greenhouse gases, also have adverse health effects on people living in polluted areas.
How do these groups see these issues being prevented?
"One of the best things we could do to help prevent climate change is simply to put all types of energy on a level playing field," said Amy Davidsen, The Climate Group's Executive director in the United States. "Currently, fossil fuels have access to more financing and more government subsidies than cleaner forms of energy. So for starters, allowing clean energy access to the same financing options and eliminating unnecessary fossil fuel subsidies, would really help clean energy to compete and grow the way it needs it to in order to significantly reduce carbon emissions."
Davidsen also suggest a measure that is often at the heart of climate controversy: taxation.
"We can put a price on carbon emissions, for example, through a carbon tax or carbon market. That would correct a failure in the market that we currently ignore, namely the harmful impact that carbon emissions have on people's health and the climate. We all pay a real cost for this in the form of illness and extreme weather, and pricing carbon would simply make that cost more transparent, so that the market can make better decisions about the types of energy it wants to have going forward."
Those in favor of climate adaptation paint a different picture. Michael Cote, a climate change consultant specializing in climate adaptation, environmental law and urban planning, focuses his work on creating real-time solutions to problems that he believes climate change causes. For example, he works on creating levees for areas that may be more susceptible to flooding and rising water levels.
Cote states that he does not think efforts to curb climate change will be effective in preventing it.
"There are billions of people on the planet, and the population is just going to increase," he said. "It will take hundreds of years to curb carbon emissions, and all reports say that [carbon levels] are just going up. It's not realistic to 'cure' it."
Instead, he feels that the best protection against the effects of climate change is to prepare for the way the changes will impact us.
Davidsen disagrees, stating that it would be more cost-effective to prevent climate change in the first place.
"Over the past two years alone, the U.S. government spent $136 billion responding to extreme weather disasters, which are expected to become worse and more frequent as the climate continues to change, " she said. "That's much more than most people realize, and the truth is that, as a country, we don't have a very good handle at all on what this is already costing us and is likely to cost us in the future. On the other hand, investing that same amount in clean energy would have almost tripled our total (public and private) clean energy investments over the same period, creating a lot of good new jobs in the process."
Cote believes the issue is more political than scientific, in large part due to some of these regulatory plans. Government intervention and raised taxes are highly contested issues for many people. When taxes are imposed to prevent climate change, it creates a situation that many people want to fight against. For some climate skeptics, that includes fighting against the actual concept and science of climate change to argue that the taxes and regulations aren't necessary. Cote himself states that he's "just not interested in tax raisers."
Another side of the issue Cote factors in is the way science and the way information is shared has changed.
"There has been a shift in science education over the past 20 or so years," he said. "Scientists, policy makers, the public and the media need to work together. Compare this to the popular image of the lone scientist in the lab - an image that still lingers in the public mind. Science has changed and is trying to be more responsive to the public. So, there is this transition from one model of 'serving science on a plate' to 'everyone come join us in the kitchen.' Fights are bound to burst when there is no agreement on how to proceed."
"For an actual conversation, we need to meet in the middle," he said. "People don't want the government to increase taxes, and that shifts the conversation. It gets derailed."
For many anti-climate change groups, the focus on limiting government intervention is a high priority. One such group is the Heartland Institute, an organization that The Economist called "the world's most prominent think tank promoting skepticism about man-made climate change." One of their biggest environmental focuses is a petition to reign in the Environmental Protection Agency, calling it a "rogue agency." They would like to see the EPA's budget cut by 80 percent or more and have many of their tasks relegated to local and state governments instead. They have a petition going to try to convince Congress to repeal the agency's authority to regulate carbon dioxide. On their website (The Heartland Institute did not respond to requests for further comments), they call carbon taxes "job killers."
In their efforts to curb government intervention in environmental issues, they criticize the science behind climate change. Among their claims, they state that Arctic sea ice is rebounding, Antarctic ice is expanding, polar bears are thriving and that sea levels are not rising.
Each side has scientists claiming contradictory evidence. Some polar bear experts claim numbers are safe, such as University of Iceland professor and geologist Dr. Olafur Ingolfsson. Ingolfsson believes that evidence of an ancient polar bear jaw proves polar bears have already survived an interglacial period. If that were the case, Ingolfsson suggests current warming may not need to be a worry for polar bear populations. Dr. Mitch Taylor, one of the most-quoted sources in the argument for steady polar bear populations, told the Frontier Centre for Public Policy that data he has seen does not appear to prove polar bears as a species are threatened or that their populations are in decline. He does, however, say that "some populations do seem to be experiencing deleterious effects from climate change."
Meanwhile, the Species Survival Commission of the International Union for Conservation of Nature released a study showing that in areas where sufficient data was present, one species/area has an increasing population, while eight have decreasing populations.
IUCN's data on polar bear populations.
While the Heartland Institute claims Antarctic ice is increasing, the Copenhagen Diagnosis, a climate science report comprised of the works of several leading climate scientists, used several different measurement techniques to create this graph of their research results, showing a decline in Antarctic ice sheets.
Antarctic sea ice levels recorded in the Copenhagen Diagnosis
John Cook, the Climate Communication Fellow for the Global Change Institute at the University of Queensland, explains that part of the discrepancies in the argument comes from where the focus of the claims is being placed. Satellite data shows Antarctica's land ice mass is decreasing at accelerated rates. Sea ice, however, is expanding. He also emphasizes the way this information is interpreted during climate debates. Climate skeptics, for example, argue that growing Antarctic ice is evidence of cooling waters. Yet studies have shown that the South Ocean is actually warming, more rapidly than all other oceans on Earth. Decreased ozone layers over Antarctica, causing stratospheric cooling that leads to ice-pushing winds, as well as changes in ocean circulation, which can move warmer, saltier water closer to the surface and increase melting, could count for the changes in ice levels.
Cook summarizes, "Antarctic sea ice is a complex and unique phenomenon. The simplistic interpretation that it must be cooling around Antarctica is decidedly not the case. Warming is happening - how it affects specific regions is complicated."
Cook himself is not a climate scientist but rather studies peer-reviewed scientific papers. Among these peer-reviewed papers on climate science, none disagreed with the consensus that human activities are modifying the atmosphere, and that greenhouse gases are likely the cause of observed warming over the past 50 years. Organizations including the Intergovernmental Panel of Climate Change, the American Meteorological Society and the American Geophysical Union have made similar claims, or at least support the evidence linking human activity to climate change.
However, climate skeptics continue to state that there is no scientific consensus that climate change is occurring, or that human activity is contributing to it, often citing a petition signed by over 31,000 American scientists urging that global warming does not exist. The argument is then made by the other side that many of these scientists are not climate experts or that climate change is not their field of study.
Economic forces also push opponents from both sides. Climate skeptics lament jobs lost when coal plants shut down, but the Natural Resources Defense Council touts the job-creating potential of cleaner wind energy.
Climate scientists argue that climate-skeptic science merely pulls examples from the "bigger picture" of a warming world to support claims that temperatures are not rising, or for those that admit the planet is indeed warming, that man cannot affect the climate one way or the other. All aspects of climate arguments essentially boil down to two groups viewing the same data and pulling different conclusions from it.
For example, it is widely agreed upon on both sides that climate change has been a natural part of Earth's history, even before humans existed. Climate skeptics use this as evidence that human activity is not affecting the current warming that is occurring. Arguments have also been made that the warming period we've had is just part of a natural Earth cycle and nothing we can do will make it warmer or cooler. Yet the data that shows past climate changes have shown that environmental factors have contributed to the change in the planet's temperatures. Ice cores show that ancient changes in carbon dioxide and methane related to melt levels. If that is the case, then humans would be able to impact the environment by increasing carbon levels in the atmosphere.
Climate change in America has become a highly politicized topic between liberals and conservatives. Like many issues the two groups face off over, a compromise may be hard to come by. However, as Canada, Japan, the European Union and other developed countries enforce climate adaptation into their policies, it may be harder and harder for the United States to stave off widespread changes.


text:
L. Neil Smith's
Number 311, March 20, 2005
"This is your government, people."
Uncommon Sense
Special to TLE
You've doubtless heard the old saying that resolves extremes by finding the "happy medium." And we all know about "shades of grey" as opposed to issues or problems of a purely "black and white" nature. But if we understand and acknowledge these thingsand we typically dohow is it that so much of what's happening in today's society represents the extreme instead? It seems to me much the result of yet another old saying, or more accurately, the absence of it. You see, common sense apparently isn't.
In California, pop star Michael Jackson is being tried on some dozen charges involving the sexual abuse of children. As the evidence and the arguments are debated inside the courtroom, there are factions on the outside that are disinclined to wait for a jury. On one end of the spectrum is a group that thinks Jackson's self-confessed predilection for sharing his bed platonically with young boys is an indictment in and of itself (frankly, even if the bed-sharing is as innocent as Jackson claims, it's still scary and weird at best, but it doesn't necessarily mean anything but that Jackson is scary and weird), and who discount the many admittedly decent things Jackson has done for kids accordingly. On the other end are the diehard fans that deny any wrongdoing whatsoever on Jackson's part, and who will doubtless continue to do so no matter the eventual verdict.
Also in California (which, I must admit, does seem to deserve its reputation as home to more than its share of "eccentrics") is the ongoing trial of actor Robert Blake (the jury is still out as I write this, though a verdict could come through at any time). Purely by virtue of his fame and the characters he's played, some have already decided that Blake is guilty of shooting and killing his wife, Bonnie Lee Bakley. For precisely the same reason, others have said that Blake couldn't have done such a thing. Meanwhile, both sides seem to be taking some sort of perverse delight in the man's legal troubles.
During the last week in February, author Hunter S. Thompson committed suicide (in what is doubtless a surprise to California, the deed was done in Colorado). He put a gun in his mouth and pulled the trigger because, according to a statement by some family members, he "wanted to die on his own terms." Obviously, there's likely some detail yet to come about the incident, but the question must remain as to what prompted him to take such extreme action with what was apparently little advance warning.
Across the country in Florida, courtroom wranglings continue in the matter of Terri Schindler Schiavo. The woman, who was brain damaged due to a temporary heart stoppage some years ago, is aware of and interested in her surroundings according to her parents. Her husband, on the other hand, says she's already gone and he's fighting to remove a feeding so his wife can finish dying. Both arguments represent an extreme, but the husband's position isn't quite what one might suppose. Her parents love her unconditionally and will certainly fight to save her life unconditionally. Her husband, on the other hand, claims his wife wouldn't want to live via artificial means. The fact that he's lived with another woman for years and has two children by her, and that he plans to marry that woman just as soon as he's widowed, apparently don't enter in to the repeated rulings that the husband has the final say.
Those who are quick to condemn Mr. Jackson should step back for a moment and consider just how really bizarre a character he is. Though 46 years of age, most people say he's never really grown up (he himself claims that's because his childhood was usurped by fame). Maybe the guy really does just enjoy having sleepovers with boys he, in some ways, considers his peers. On the other hand, those who defend Jackson without even acknowledging the severity of the charges against him are even more foolish. Jackson may not be all bad, but neither is he the saint a few would claim. In this case, the happy medium would simply be finding the truth and discarding the hyperbole on both sides; the shades of grey will resolve into black and white once we're made aware of the evidenceor the lack of itin the trial (and yes, I am all too well aware of the irony of referencing "black" and "white" in connection with the thoroughly bleached Mr. Jackson).
Make no mistake, here. I do consider child sexual abuse to be very black indeed, and if he's guilty, Jackson should be severely punished. But common sense would suggest we have evidence before convicting someone of such serious charges. Disregarding the Sixth and Fourteenth Amendments that suggest fair trials and equal treatment for a moment, common sense alone would dictate that Jackson's personal oddities should not condemn him, nor should his fame exonerate him. But extremists on both sides are doing just that.
There's a radio show host (on the Bob & Tom Show) I happen to particularly enjoy who says he thinks that Robert Blake did kill Bonnie Lee Bakley, but that from what he knows she pretty much deserved whatever she got. While Tom Griswold's position may be extreme, the law itself makes allowances for certain provocations. Did Blake pull the trigger? Maybe. Did Bakley ask for what she got? It may be politically incorrect to say so, but the answer here is also a definitive maybe (for the record, my own definition of sufficient provocation for deadly force is the threat of the same).
Tom is a funny guy, and he's really making a morbid joke as much as he is a statement of his own opinion when he says what he says. But his position is little different than that of the media which is supposed to be neither funny nor opinionated. On the one side, reports are that Blake has a temper (don't most of us?) and on the other, offers condemnations of Bakley as a gold-digger and a whore (neither of which are, last time I checked, capital offenses). While common sense would suggest we wait for a jury verdict, extremism is inclined to convict an admittedly unwholesome victim on the one side, or to punish the rich and famous guy on the other.
The only truth immediately obvious in the case of the death of Hunter S. Thompson is that he's dead. Many of his fans seem to consider his actions almost heroic and feel his death was true to his life; others are apparently ready to discount his every act as being the hallmarks of a mentally unbalanced man. There are probably some elements of truth to both positions, but anything that would drive a man to kill himself as Thompson did is almost certainly a little more complicated than that. To jump to conclusions is evidence of both a lack of serious consideration as well as a lack of compassion for his surviving family members.
The matter of Terri Schindler Schiavo is likely both more complicated and much simpler than reports would have us all believe. The issue is further clouded by the fact that each and every one of us have our own opinions and desires where such circumstances are concerned. The one thing I do believe definitive in the case is that most media reports reference the case as one to determine the "right to die." In reality, it's one that will determine the right to live. Michael Schiavo insists his wife wouldn't want to live via artificial means, but the only "artificial" means being used to support her is a feeding tube.
Forget that most definitions of "artificial" means reference things like respirators, and that a feeding tube is, in many ways, comparable to kidney dialysis. (We don't kill the people who need that, do we?) Forget that Michael Schiavo has more than a few selfish reasons he'd like his wife to be dead. All we need to note is the fact that Terri was a practicing Catholic, and that Catholics consider the removal of any life support, no matter how heroic, to be a sin. Common sense would provide that that alone would be more than adequate to show Terri's own wishes in the matter! (Of course, the ACLU has jumped in at this point to wonder why religion is involved at all, showing an utter disregard for common sense and for freedom of worship in one fell swoop.)
It's not just we who are extreme, but also the law. For example, consider the case of an Ohio woman who was arrested in front of her children and hauled off to jail in handcuffs. Why? Because she owed the city of Mansfield 96 cents in taxes from 2001. That's right. 96 cents. And to make matters even worse, she'd contacted the city about the matter some time earlier, and was told not to do anything for such a negligible amount. Now common sense would indicate that the city would write off such a low figure given that it would cost more in postage to collect the fee. At worst, common sense would suggest the city just ask for its money. But instead, the city chose the extreme, and decided to spend who knows how much on law enforcement and court time, and to cause great damage to an undeserving woman's reputation and psyche.
In another legal matter, it seems that some European nations have sued the National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration for its failure to warn everybody of the tsunami it knew was coming (the nation of Thailand and a hotel in Phuket are also being sued). The plaintiffs have apparently conveniently forgotten that one of the most horrific aspects of the massive death toll in southeast Asia is the fact that there's no tsunami warning system in place there. Despite repeated attempts to telephone various governmental agencies (made by authorities in Hawaii who were all too well aware of what was about to happen), there was no infrastructure in place to handle or relay the warnings. Anyone exhibiting common sense would be working toward helping to establish such a warning system (and word is that one will now be built) rather than blaming people who had no way to issue a warning they're now being blamed for failing to issue!
And just to ensure that common sense remains as uncommon as possible, we're teaching our children lessons of extremism they won't soon forget. A child with a butter knife is kicked out of school for violating a zero tolerance weapons policy; a child who gave a friend a breath mint is disciplined for violating a zero tolerance drug (yes, drug) policy; and now a Florida boy has been accused of assaulting a teacher with a weapon most of us would recognize as a rubber band!
You want to know another old saying? Well, it's not really an old saying. But it comes from a bumper sticker, so I'm going to let it count. The sticker says, "The most common elements in the universe are hydrogen and stupidity." I'm beginning to think that hydrogen has some real competition these days.
ACLU weighs in on Schiavo case
OH woman arrested over 96 cents
Boy commits "assault" with rubber band
Help Support TLE by patronizing our advertisers and affiliates.


text:
Photo By: Robert Peterson; Rustic White Photography
Photo By: Chad Mellon Photography
Photo By: Ryan Garvin
Photo By: Anita Lang
Photo By: David Gilbert
Photo By: Dustin Halleck
Photo By: Mary Ann Carter/Getty Images
Photo By: John Gruen
Photo By: Jerry Jacobs
Photo By: Daniel Christopher
Photo By: Scott Amundson Photography
Photo By: Tomas Espinoza
Terrific Trees
A number of existing local trees that gently frame the backyard area were integrated into the landscaping. "We saved mature trees whenever possible," says project manager Scott Branscom.
Visit Original Photo
White Transitional Kitchen With Globe Pendant Lights
An otherwise white transitional kitchen features eye-catching color thanks to its blue-gray island and matching range hood. A herringbone-patterned tile backsplash adds texture to the kitchen design.
Living and Kitchen In Coastal Contemporary Home
White, bright and natural light and the words that come to mind when looking at this kitchen and living space. Pops of blue and yellow shine against the white walls and ceilings. The exposed wood beam adds architectural interest.
Colorful Chair in White Living Room
A blue and yellow chair offers a burst of brilliant color against the backdrop of the all white living room. A driftwood coffee table and white sofa add to the coastal feel.
Contemporary Bedroom in Warm Brown Tones
Rich shades of brown pair with creamy white and soft beige for a warm, inviting atmosphere in this contemporary bedroom. A custom headboard extends out to create built-in shelving on either side of the bed.
City Meets Country in This Elegant Kitchen
The homeowners wanted a home space that seamlessly combined country and city styles to create their perfect space, so designers took elements such as the gray and white tile floor and glass front cabinets from the country style and blended it with clean lines, strong hardware and stainless steel, all looks of the city, to create this elegant, comfortable space that perfectly meets the needs of their family.
Gray Transitional Bedroom with Roman Shade
A custom Roman shade blends with the wall's soft gray hue, giving the illusion of added space in this restful bedroom. In this room as throughout the home, contemporary touches mix with classic details. The renovated Victorian house has been fully updated to meet the needs of a modern-day family.
Contemporary Blue Bedroom with Matching Bed Linens and Area Rug
It features new recessed lighting and powder blue walls, and is staged with coordinating bed linens and dhurrie area rug and a bed with calfskin leather headboard.
White, Modern Dining Room in New Farmhouse
Complementary shades of teal and tangerine are eye-catching against the white walls of this modern farmhouse dining space. A contemporary light fixture adds distinction without blocking the views between the open and airy living, dining and kitchen spaces.
Contemporary Bath With Glass Shower Enclosure
This contemporary bathroom designed by Jerry Jacobs features a glass shower enclosure and uniquely designed wood vanity.
Contemporary Living Space with Oversized White Sofa
This open concept living space features an island breakfast bar and dining table which opens up to a family friendly oversized white sectional.
Contemporary Open Concept Living Space
This contemporary living space features an open concept, oversized white sofa, and a generous fireplace hearth creating the perfect place for family to gather.
Contemporary Living Space with Wood Stained Ceiling
Contemporary open living room and dining area features handwoven baskets and a textured wood coffee table for storage, a large gray sofa, hardwood floors to match the stained beams, and geometric pendant lights.
Basement Design with Exposed Brick Walls
This basement design features bench seating around a pedestal table, geometric pendant lights, and exposed brick walls which make this the perfect place for the whole family to gather.
Contemporary Basement Multipurpose Room
This basement space serves as a family multipurpose room featuring a U-shaped gray and white sectional with stain resistant and eco friendly fabric, gray wood floors, and a black and white abstract print area rug.
Open Concept Home with Bright Foyer
This light, airy foyer opens into the living room, dining and kitchen space. Bright white walls compliment the light hardwood floors in this central space.
Contemporary Sitting Room With Turquoise Curtains
Wallpaper with a small-scale pattern and neutral color scheme can serve as a sophisticated backdrop for brighter art and window treatments.
Kitchen With Dual Gas Ovens and French Country Range Hood
This luxurious kitchen features an eye-catching French country range hood above a dual gas oven and cooktop. The room also includes a white stone backsplash, white cabinetry and white stone countertops.
Guest Spot
The downstairs guest room features a Gray Malin photograph and a custom wall design Julianne created with washi tape. The merlot chair features one of Julianne's characteristic festive color clashes in the accompanying throw pillows, and is by Taylor Burke Home.


text:
Do you know, that at this moment NOLA has 1111 restaurants! Over 300 new establishments have opened since Katrina. We may not do some things right in Louisiana but we do know how to enjoy food!
This will be the beginning of a new blog category. We will call it simply New Orleans Restaurants. It is only my humble review. Before you make dining reservations for your next visit to our fun city check our blog archives for a locals perspective.
We'll start with Brigtsen's. Chef Frank Brigtsen trained under Paul Prudhomme at K-Paul's for several years. In 1990, he opened his personal restaurant in the Riverbend/Uptown area on Dante St – 11 min from our Garden District bed and breakfast in New Orleans. The setting is both homey and elegant, and Chef Brigtsen offers some of the city's top contemporary and Creole cuisine.
Located at 723 Dante St. in the Riverbend.


text:
Three Stages Announces Too Marvelous for Words: The Songs of Johnny Mercer, 2/14-17
Too Marvelous for Words presents some of the much-loved songs of Johnny Mercer - one of America's great lyricists- and captures them at their most intimate. Linda Purl and Lee Lessack return to Three Stages in a powerhouse evening, dedicated to the heartwarming music of Georgia's favorite son. Four-time Academy Award-winning songwriter Johnny Mercer comes to life as the two artists weave heretofore little-known stories with his timeless tunes, including Moon River, Autumn Leaves, Black Magic, My Shining Hour, Come Rain or Come Shine, and more.
Brought to the stage by TV actress and singer Linda Purl (originally Fonzie's girlfriend on Happy Days; more recently on The Office and Homeland) and Lee Lessack ("Cabaret romanticism of a high order" Billboard Magazine), the performance will feature some of Mercer's unforgettable songs performed by two top-notch singers. Of Purl, Rex Reed of the New York Observer stated "serendipitously discovering this kind of beauty and talent is like seeing a unicorn on the subway..." Of Mr. Lessack, the Chicago Tribune stated that he's "the best male cabaret singer to come around since Michael Feinstein!"
Executive Director Dave Pier noted that "this duo is delightful, the songs are time-tested and classic...it will surely warm these February nights, and is a perfect Valentine for our audience."
Two Marvelous for Words: The Songs of Johnny Mercer will be presented at Three Stages on Thursday, February 14, 7:30 pm (A Special Valentine's Performance); Friday, February 15, 8:00 pm; Saturday, February 16, 2:00 and 8:00 pm; Sunday, February 17, 2:00 pm. Tickets are $39-$45. They may be purchased online at www.threestages.net or from Three Stages Ticket Office at 916-608-6888 from 10 am to 6 pm, Monday through Saturday, and two hours before show time. Three Stages is located on the west side of Folsom Lake College campus in Folsom, CA, facing East Bidwell Street.
Born in Connecticut and raised in Japan, Linda Purl'S television credits range from Happy Days as Ashley Pfister (Fonzie's fiancée) to Charlene Matlock on Matlock to Joe Mategna's wife on the acclaimed Supreme Court series First Monday, co-starring James Garner. Linda has over 30 television movies credits to her name, such as Born Free, The Last Days of Pompeii (with Sir Laurence Olivier), The Manions of America (with Pierce Brosnan), and Like Normal People, the award winning docu-drama about a mentally retarded couple co-starring Shaun Cassidy. Linda's feature film credits include Disney's Mighty Joe Young, The Walking Major (with Toshiro Mifune), Crazy Mama (directed by Jonathan Demme) and Leo and Loree (produced by Ron Howard). Stage credits include Broadway: The Adventures of Tom Sawyer; Getting and Spending; Off Broadway: The Baby Dance (with Stephanie Zimbalist); Off-Off-Broadway: Hallelujah, Hallelujah!.
Linda is recipient of six Dramalogue Best Actress Awards and two Dramalogue Awards as "Best Producer". She has received two Robby Awards for "Best Actress", is a three time nominee of the Los Angeles Drama Critics' Award for "Best Actress", and is the recipient of the Connecticut Critics' Award for "Outstanding Performance in a Play" for her work in The Baby Dance.
Lee Lessack's graceful lyric baritone vocals and endearing persona have made him a shining star of the international concert scene. Billboard Magazine calls his singing, "Cabaret romanticism of a high order". Touring extensively in the United States and Europe to sold-out performances and releasing five albums, Lessack has proven himself both as performer and recording artist.
Lee's newest concert is titled CHANTEUR and is homage to the Great French Songbook, celebrating music by Michel Legrand, Jacques Brel, Gilbert Bécaud and Charles Aznavour to name just a few. His fifth and most ambitious recording to date, In Good Company, features duets with music notables like Michael Feinstein, Maureen McGovern, Amanda McBroom, Ann Hampton Callaway and Stephen Schwartz, it has earned a MAC and Bistro Award for Best Recording of the Year.
John Boswell (Musical Director) has served as musical director for Judy Collins, Andy Williams and Bob Newhart. John played the role of "Moose" in the national tour of Crazy For You. Broadway/Off Broadway credits include Crazy For You, The Secret Garden, Back To Bacharach And David, and The Kathy And Mo Show: Parallel Lives. John also composed music for the HBO special Kathy And Mo: The Dark Side.


text: I had the interview the other day. I tried to focus on my experience rather than on pedigree and class rank. I think it worked, we hit it off, and I have a callback to meet with this guy's superior next week. I think it went pretty well. Thanks for all the advice.


text:
Basic home security; most people think that there is a 'one-size-fits-all, silver bullet solution' to basic home security. The reality is that each situation is unique and deserves a complete and individual review to ensure all precautions are taken to protect your home, loved ones and valuables.
A basic home security system certainly is a very good investment to make to protect you, your loved ones and your property. In addition to having the proper security system, don't over look the other, simple things you can do to deter the casual criminal. Following are some precautions that should be implemented now, regardless of any home security system you have or are contemplating installing.
Your exterior doors are one of the main points of access to your home. If they're 'wide open' or unlocked, someone looking to cause problems will walk through them, almost guaranteed. Locking all exterior doors with a high quality lock will slow down and perhaps even stop the 'casual criminal'. The more time and effort required to gain access to your home, the more likely the criminal will move on to other, easier targets. Placing as many deterrents as possible in the way of the criminal is one of the basic tenets of home security. It is definitely something you should keep in mind when evaluating your current security system or when shopping for your home security system.
It may sound like a no brainer, but, you'd be surprised at how few of us have deadbolt's on all exterior doors. It may seem like it is over kill, but standard locks are very easy to bypass. It is incredible how fast and easy it is to gain access to a garage or uninhabited house using nothing more than a cheap ID card, Membership card, or driver's license. A standard lock just won't stop someone who is willing to go the extra step to gain access to your home.
Also, if any door has glass in it or right next to it, be sure the deadbolt requires a key on both sides in order to open it. Having a deadbolt with a key on the exterior and a simple turn knob on the inside isn't much better than having no deadbolt at all. A criminal can break or cut the glass, reach in turn the knob and enter your home. With a proper deadbolt in place, a criminal will either have to be very proficient at picking a 6 tumbler lock, or be able kick your door in.
How should you secure all those windows? They're great to look out, but they're not a deterrent from a security standpoint. Not only do they let people look directly into your home, but they're fragile and easy to break. However, as long as all your windows are closed and locked, a criminal will be forced to destroy your property if they want to gain access to your home. Closing and ensuring all windows are securely locked is a must. You should check every day before you leave the house and every night before you go to bed. Make sure all windows are checked, not just the ground-accessible windows, and make it part of your daily routine.


text:
This last week for Activity Days, my fab partner, Jessica, put together this darling project to encourage service within our families. Here's what you do:
1. Gather supplies to create wooden stars.
2. Paint, glitter, and embellish your star to your heart's content.
3. Add a ribbon and tie on the Service Star poem (I don't have a download for this – use this as your reference).Star light, star bright. Who could use our help tonight? A secret service it might be It's completely up to you, you see. Whether raking leaves or shoveling snow, Perform your service to so no one knows. Now don't forget when deeds are done To leave the star for someone else to come find!
4. Voila! Service Star is ready for duty.
Jessica taught a short lesson about the importance of serving our own family and explained how to use the star. Then they got down to serious decorating. Glitter flying everywhere = heaven for our little tweens.
This is how the Service Star works:
1. Start the service rotation by doing something nice (secretly) for someone in their family (i.e. make your brother's bed).
2. Leave the Service Star somewhere that the recipient of the service will find it (i.e. on your brother's freshly plumped pillow).
3. Recipient then pays it forward by serving someone else in the family (i.e. washing the dishes in the sink), leaving the Star for the next person to find (i.e. next to the dishwashing liquid – you get the picture).
Keep the service ring going and going throughout the holiday season – and beyond! This activity can be done any time throughout the year. If you want to focus just on the holiday season, here's another possible poem found on this chatboard:It's Christmastime once more, Here's a tradition that's old and true. Use this magical Christmas star And you'll see what it can do. Now everyday 'till Christmas Do a secret act in your home For a member of your family, Don't let your identity be known. And when the secret deed is done Place the star upon their bed, And they in turn do a secret act For someone else instead. And like that star so long ago Brought brightness from above, May this star bring to your home The joy of service and love.


text:
The brokerage team marketing the historic Hecker-Smiley mansion for sale in Midtown is taking a worldly approach to the process: sign advertising in multiple languages.
The sign in front of the 27,000-square-foot mansion, built in 1892, says "For Sale" in English, French, Chinese and Arabic, said Levi Smith, principal of Southfield-based Principal Associates LLC. They chose Arabic because of the large local Arab population; Chinese because of visiting Chinese auto suppliers; and French because of the city's history and the mansion's style of architecture, which is French Renaissance.
The Hecker-Smiley was once the home of industrial tycoon Col. Frank J. Hecker; housed the Smiley Bros. Music Co.; and, most recently, has been the home of the law offices of Charfoos & Christensen PC that since 2011 has been looking to sell and move out. The asking price for the estate is a cool $2.79 million.


text:
State Highway Economic Stimulus Projects
President Barack Obama signed a $787 billion economic stimulus bill into law on Tuesday, February 17th. South Dakota is estimated to receive approximately $183 million in ARRA funding that also could include rail infrastructure activities. The SD Dept of Transportation has identified these initial projects as the starting point for the stimulation package. As the amount of available funding is finalized, additional projects will be added to this list.
Amended Certification under Section 1201 of the ARRA
ARRA Stimulus Projects - Contact Mike Behm (605) 773-3268
Map of these projects
ARRA Certifications
Transit Revisions - Contact Jack Dokken (605) 773-3574
Local Government ARRA Funds - Contact Jack Dokken (605) 773-3574
Airport Projects
DOT-ES-1 - Monthly Employment Report for American Recovery and Reinvestment Act (ARRA) projects
DOT ES-1 Instruction - Instructions for completing DOT ES-1
State of South Dakota's Recovery Website


text:
U.S. Army War College >> Strategic Studies Institute >> Publications >> Details
Threat Posed by Mounting Vigilantism in Mexico
Authored by Dr. George W. Grayson.
- Added September 15, 2011
- Type: Monograph
- 75 Pages
- Download Format:
PDF (Recommended)
ePub (Mobile Devices)
Kindle Reader
- Cost: Free
- Share |
Brief Synopsis
Until the 1980s, Mexico enjoyed relative freedom from violence. Ruthless drug cartels existed, but they usually abided by informal rules of conduct hammered out between several capos and representatives of the dominant Institutional Revolutionary Party (PRI), which ruled the country until the 1990s. Relying on bribes, the desperados pursued their illicit activities with the connivance of authorities. In return for the legal authorities turning a blind eye, drug dealers behaved discretely, shunned high-tech weapons, deferred to public figures, spurned kidnapping, and even appeared with governors at their children's weddings. Unlike their Colombian counterparts, Mexico's barons did not seek elective office. In addition, they did not sell drugs within the country, corrupt children, target innocent people, engage in kidnapping, or invade the turf or product-line (marijuana, heroin, cocaine, etc.) of competitors. The situation was sufficiently fluid so that should a local police or military unit refuse to cooperate with a cartel, the latter would simply transfer its operations to a nearby municipality where they could clinch the desired arrangement. Three key events in the 1980s and 1990s changed the "live and let live" ethos that enveloped illegal activities. Mexico became the new avenue for Andean cocaine shipped to the United States after the U.S. military and law-enforcement authorities sharply reduced its flow into Florida and other South Atlantic states. The North American Free Trade Agreement, which took effect on January 1, 1994, greatly increased economic activities throughout the continent. Dealers often hid cocaine and other drugs among the merchandise that moved northward through Nuevo Laredo, El Paso, Tijuana, and other portals. The change in routes gave rise to Croesus-like profits for cocaine traffickers--a phenomenon that coincided with an upsurge of electoral victories. Largely unexamined amid this narco-mayhem are vigilante activities. With federal resources aimed at drug traffickers and local police more often a part of the problem than a part of the solution, vigilantes are stepping into the void. Suspected criminals who run afoul of these vigilantes endure the brunt of a skewed version of justice that enjoys a groundswell of support.
You may also be interested in the following titles:
Indian and Chinese Engagement in Latin America and the Caribbean: A Comparative Assessment
Honduras: A Pariah State, or Innovative Solutions to Organized Crime Deserving U.S. Support?
The New Russian Engagement with Latin America: Strategic Position, Commerce, and Dreams of the Past
The Evolution of Los Zetas in Mexico and Central America: Sadism as an Instrument of Cartel Warfare
Venezuela as an Exporter of 4th Generation Warfare Instability
Also by the Author/Editor:
The Evolution of Los Zetas in Mexico and Central America: Sadism as an Instrument of Cartel Warfare
The Impact of President Felipe Calderón's War on Drugs on the Armed Forces: The Prospects for Mexico's "Militarization" and Bilateral Relations
La Familia Drug Cartel: Implications for U.S.-Mexican Security
View other pubs in the following categories:
Download it Now!
- Download Format:
PDF (Recommended)
ePub (Mobile Devices)
Kindle Reader
- PDF File Size: 3.44MB
- Download Format:
- Study is: Available via Download Only
- For out of stock or digital only publications, refer to the new GPO on-demand site. For a small fee, receive many prior publications. Click here to visit.
- All materials on our website are available as a free download.


text:
Main Index
Latest News
Browse the site choosing a game from the menu, here you'll find Story, Screenshots, Arenas, Props and Fighters of the game, each fighter page includes: A complete Spritesheet, Biography, Animations, Props, Movelist, Fatality Videos, Ending, Renders, Cut-Out Pictures, Wallpapers and more!
Latest Updates
Mortal Kombat 11
Mortal Kombat Mobile
Mortal Kombat X
Have you seen the kickass Mortal Kombat Armageddon wallpaper? Judging by how Rain looks I retract from my previous "Rain sucks" statement.
Anyway, this isn't about Rain, it's about:
New Animations and Sprites!
- Mortal Kombat
- Johnny Cage's Shadow Kick sprite
- Raiden's 29 new animations
- Mortal Kombat II
- Shao Kahn's Complete Spritesheet!
- Johnny Cage's Spritesheet has been completed!
- A new secret prop for The Portal
- 22 New Animated Text Messages props
Thanks to Daniel Wandin for those Raiden Animations, MKII props, MKII Cage sprites and Shao Kahn spritesheet were ripped by Maggo, MK1 Cage's shadow kick sprite was ripped by ]{0MBAT and finally, that weird secret prop from The Portal was ripped by the cheat master AceKombat.
Upcoming updates will contain Goro sprites from MKT, MKII Smoke and UMK3 Scorpion sprites, I will now try to focus on finishing up uncomplete sections, (like MKM) and also update MKO's Games Section.
PS: I'll have this space to answer some questions I've seen in previous comments:
Q: When are the projectiles being posted?
A: Projectiles are temporary in each game props' page, when I've got the spritesheet for a character I include his/her projectiles in the spritesheet, although I've forgot to do this in recent spritesheet, it will get fixed.
Q: Are you gonna have MKMythologies sprites? Are you gonna have sounds in your site?
A: I don't know if the site will feature MKM sprites, same thing with Sounds.
Q: Where do you get all these awesome sprites?
A: We take screenshots from MAME while playing the game, pro sprite rippers use cheats to remove the background layer and get a clean sprite that they after put in a png/gif file with transparent background (alpha layer).
Q: Why do sprites show up with a white/pink background?
A: That's because you're browsing the site with Internet Explorer, which actually sucks because it doesn't understand the transparent layer for PNGs, you can either switch to Firefox or wait for IE7 to be released.
Q: Did you have a good vacation?
A: Hell yeah, I even went to the Infernet :P
Q: Hey, can you get -insert character name here- sprites now?
A: No. I mean, yeah, but not now, sprite rippers rip sprites in their own order, obviously the most popular character get ripped first. In case of the site we've tried to go along with this schedule: MK1, Bosses, MK2, MK3, and so on.
That would be all for now, see you in a next update.
56 responses to "Spritesheets and Animations day"
:D mister angry face!
Can you guys please add sounds to this website because it would take this wqebsite to the next level but if you can't don't worrie i am just a kid wanting to finish my spoof and i really want quotes because there coool
I am sort of taking your sprites but i will have a bbliography in the credits
please tell me how to animate! my silent animation is not just another fake fatality its a funny animation oh! i shouldent say animation not yet right now its just a idea so please tell me how! ps you never thanked nobrainer in march2006 ill bet hes pissed off! you should email him
also all the authors most of the time pick on kung lao for thier fake fatality but why!? wtf did he do to you? although i do the same for me its night wolf that indian show off asswhip anyway uhh…..bye!
also the authors usually pick upon kung lao regarding thier false fatality however why!? wtf made he do for your requirements? although i actually do the same in my situation its night time wolf this indian present asswhip anyhow uhh….. bye!
Leave a Reply
Latest Updates
- Deadly Alliance, Deception & Armageddon Kontent
- Mortal Kombat 11 Kontent
- Mortal Kombat Mobile Kontent
- New Kontent: Missing Sprites, Parallax Arenas and MK2 Sounds
- More MKXL Kontent
- Celebrating 15 Years of MKW
- Mortal Kombat XL Kontent out of nowhere!
- Mortal Kombat XL announced, update on future site content
- Mortal Kombat X
- Mortal Kombat Deception Renders


text:
Jan. 2013: Win a Champagne Wishes Gift Basket and a 2-night getaway!
January 2013 Giveaway: Enter to win a Champagne Gift Basket and a 2-night stay!
Winner will get the following:
1. A Champagne Wishes Gift Basket worth $120
2. 2-night stay at the Econo Lodge Inn & Suites Yuba, CA
To enter you need to sign up for the Heritage Hotel Group Email List, like Heritage Hotel Group's Page on Facebook, or follow Heritage Hotel Group on Twitter. ALSO: Share current monthly giveaway to Facebook friends (from Heritage Hotel Group's Facebook page)or Retweet it on Twitter (from HeritageHGroup)
For more information go here: http://heritagehotelgroup.com/giveaway/
Must be 21+ US Resident.
Last day to enter: 01-31-13.


text:
Christmas Mail Order Favorites
I thought I'd share some of my favorite vendors whose products I regularly ship around at Christmas time. I send my own jams and jellies, of course, but they're not appropriate for everyone, and anyway, I love to get on the phone or computer and order these goodies because then I always order some for myself. So here goes.
Josephson's Smokehouse: Smoked Oysters
I recently visited my friend Huger Foote in Astoria, OR (I've given his book of photography, My Friend From Memphis, to various art world friends ) and he took me to this smokehouse where I just about fainted. This is a first class smoked fish joint that has been doing it for almost a century. I bought smoked salmon collars that were so tender and delicious I am practically doing the chair dance as I write about them now. But the ultimate, the best thing I bought and tasted and am now ordering for my Christmas blitz is the Hot Smoked Oysters. They are so fat, so mild, so fresh tasting…I served teh ones I brought home at a cocktail party with a homemade mayo to dip and while they aren't cheap ($18 per half pound) they are incredible. There are lots of other hot smoked seafood products, too, like black cod, mussels, and the great wild Chinook salmon.
(503) 325-2190 or (800) 772-3474
Hauani Creek Pecan Company
These are the best, the creamiest, the sweetest pecans I've ever had. The ranch is based in southern Oklahoma. You can order the nuts in shell, custom cracked, or farm shelled. I go for the custom cracked. It's pretty easy to finish off the shelling, and it makes a significant difference price-wise. They offer the varieties Pawnee, Kanza, and Oconee, although they might not all be available when you call. Pecans freeze beautifully. I usually go for a five-pound bag.
www.pecansnow.com (877) NUTFARM (688-3276)
Ter Marsch Groves: Honeybell Tangelos
My A+ present, a tray of Honeybell tangelos. These are the sweetest oranges I've ever had. They make the best marmalade (see my post on Honeybell Marmalade from Jan. 2010), fantastic juice; I even freeze the rinds to serve coffee granita in for dinner parties. I've been shopping at Ter Marsch, which is located on a sandy strip of highway in West Palm Beach near where my grandmother used to live, for 35 years. They don't have internet shopping—you have to call. I send one fruit tray out as a gift, and for myself, I order two: one to arrive in the beginning of the season—which is short, just the month of January–the other to arrive at the end of the season.
(561) 626-1177 or (800) 204-7540
Enstrom's Almond Toffee
My Colorado readers know all about Enstrom's, but the rest of you will be very happy when you try this, simply the best toffee I've ever eaten. There is no junk in this candy. It is just butter butter butter. I usually send around a one-pound box of the milk chocolate toffee, which I like better than the dark chocolate (usually not the case—but when it comes to this particular recipe, I recommend the milk). I do not send large amounts of this candy to myself. Never more than a pound because it is totally fattening, but oh my God.
Fran's Chocolates: Sea Salt Caramels
For my estrogen-depleted friends, Fran's is the most elegant chocolate I send out. My favorite item is the gray salt caramels dipped in dark chocolate. The smoked salt caramels in milk chocolate are pretty fabulous, too. This Seattle-based company produces a very well made and beautifully packaged product. When you get these in the mail, it really feels like a present.
(800) 422-3726


text:
'Kreedom' returns to SETX to perform at Event Centre on Nov. 9
Kree Harrison walked away from American Idol with second place and a new nickname — "Kreedom" — a name she received from R&B sensation Nicki Minaj, a polarizing Idol judge who both explicitly criticized and praised Harrison's performances during the show's 12th season, but also even innocently proposed to the contestant. Harrison said she walked away with more than a mere nickname and marriage proposal from a quadruple-platinum album-selling diva, however.
"I walked away appreciating that whole journey more than I thought I would," Harrison said, "with relationships that will last long and, obviously, with the exposure and a following."
Harrison is currently "writing her butt off," she said, but has no specified release date for an album as of yet.
"I'm in the process of getting all the pieces of my puzzle together before a make a video and start recording," she said.
Although she offered no sneak peek into the theme of the album, Harrison assured she would "stay true to her roots" — country music.
"I don't think anybody will be shocked," she said. "I'm not coming out rapping, for sure."
Harrison said she's never participated in a color fun run like the Compassion 5K before, but after viewing pictures of the colorful events, said she wants to take part in a run herself, sometime — not only for the excitement, but also for the cause.
"Compassion Hospice … provides hospice service to people who can't pay for it," she said. "I'm happy to be a part of it."
Fans can expect to hear original tunes by Harrison from her upcoming album, as well as some classics and covers, she said.
"Any influences in my life that I have, I always try to match up with my country," said Harrison, who said she currently enjoys listening to Charlie Worsham and Kacey Musgraves but is heavily influenced by Patsy Cline and Odis Redding. "There are quite a few, but definitely those two."
Harrison, a Woodville native who has lived in Nashville for the past 14 years, said she is excited about returning home to Southeast Texas to perform at the Event Centre on Nov. 9.
"I'm really pumped about this show in Beaumont. I have too much pride to claim anything but Texas," she said. "My whole family lives there. It's a reunion, but also, it just feels good to be home."
See related story here: http://theexaminer.com/stories/news/compassion-color-5k-raises-funds-indigent-health-care-hospice


text:
Call Us for Price Quote: 540-786-5090
Create a rustic focal point where you can hang your hat or coat with this oak hat rack. This country style piece makes a beautiful accent for your entry way where you can graciously welcome friends and family into your home.
The Sedona Rustic Oak Hat Rack by Sunny Designs at Powell's Furniture and Mattress in the Fredericksburg, Richmond, Charlottesville, Virginia and Maryland area. Product availability may vary. Contact us for the most current availability on this product.
The natural beauty of wood with a rustic finish is at the heart of the country appeal of this collection. Stone slate tile accents incorporate the colors of the American Southwest into furniture for your entire home. Create an inviting atmosphere for spending time with your family and friends in comfort of your own home with these pieces. These pieces embody the cabin getaway you look forward to with rustic décor offering casual and mission style with fine craftsmanship of oak and stone.
The Sedona collection is a great option if you are looking for Casual furniture in the Fredericksburg, Richmond, Charlottesville, Virginia and Maryland area.
These images are representative of this group as a whole and may differ from this item.
Browse other items in the Sedona collection from Powell's Furniture and Mattress in the Fredericksburg, Richmond, Charlottesville, Virginia and Maryland area.
This item has been tagged as: Living Room Furniture, Accent Furniture, Occasional Furniture, Cabinet, Cabinet Tables, Storage Tables, Small Storage Cabinet, Chairside Cabinet, Short Cabinet, Accent Cabinet, Commode, Cocktail Tables, Lift – Top Cocktail Table, Storage Table, Cocktail Coffee Table, Cocktail Table with Storage, Coffee Table, Lift – Top Coffee Table, Coffee Table with Storage, Couch Table, Magazine Storage, Sitting Room Tables, End Table, Chairside Table, Coffee and End Tables, Furniture End Tables, Accent Table, Lamp Table, Pedestal Table, Hall Tree, Storage Hall Tree, Hall Tree with Storage, Coat Rack, Hall Tree Coat Rack, Entry Hall Tree, Hat Rack, Hall Trees with Benches, Bench and Hall Tree, Clothes Tree, Hall Tree Furniture, Entry Furniture, Foyer Furniture, Sofa Table, Furniture Sofa Table, Console Table, Sofa Console Tables, Sofa End Table, Secretary Desk, Table Desk, Wine Rack, Wine Glass Rack, Wine Storage, Wine Bottle Storage, Wine Storage Rack, Wine Bottle Rack, Cabinet Wine Rack, Wine Glass Storage, Wine Storage Cabinet, Larder, Kitchen Storage, Dining Room Storage, Occasional Tables
Nothing on this page may be copied or reproduced without explicit permission.


text: Daniel Seaton joined PhRMA in 2009 after relocating to DC from his native New Mexico. He has a degree in Liberal Arts from Thomas Aquinas College in California, and really misses the beach weather. He is currently pursuing a Master's degree in communications at Georgetown. In his spare time, he enjoys hiking and volunteering as an ESL tutor.


text:
by David Allen on Feb 18, 2013 from Books
Text-Driven Preaching features essays by Daniel L. Akin, Paige Patterson, David Alan Black, Jerry Vines, Hershael York, David L. Allen, Bill Bennett, Ned L. Mathews, Robert Vogel, and Jim Shaddix urging pastors to commit to presenting true expository preaching from the pulpit. Concerned over what some church leaders even consider to be expository preaching today, they agree, "This book rests firmly on the biblical and theological foundation for exposition: God has spoken."
Established 1908 We Are Southwestern Fort Worth, Texas
All content © 2015 Southwestern Baptist Theological Seminary • Fort Worth, Texas. All rights reserved. Privacy Disclaimer.


text:
- Home
- News
- Sports
- Opinion
- Obituaries
- Features
- Special Sections
- Classifieds
- Public Notices
'Full steam ahead' for Turfgrass
Now is the time to get started on the warm season grass activities (e.g. Bermuda, centipede, zoysia and St. Augustine).
Seed, sprig, plug or plant rolls of sod now and throughout the summer in the Cape Fear region of North Carolina.
Fertilize, water, mow low and let it grow. Centipede is the exception to the typical lime and fertilizer suggestions, since centipedegrass prefers acid soils and fertilizing just once in early June.
If you currently subscribe or have subscribed in the past to the The Brunswick Beacon, then simply find your account number on your mailing label and enter it below.
Click the question mark below to see where your account ID appears on your mailing label.
|ZIP Code:


text:
I was not the only new student at Seymour High School in the fall of 1969. There were a few other kids who had moved to Baylor County, and of these there were even a couple of students who were not through-and-through Texans, so I was not the only kid who didn't have a Texan accent.
Still, there was a sense of disconnection, unfamiliarity, and uncertainty on my first day in high school. I was the only sophomore who was just starting high school, because in California at that time high school started in the 10th grade, whereas in Texas it started in the 9th grade. My friends from Curtis Junior High School would also be starting high school now, without me. Curtis Junior High School was the school I had attended in 7th grade and I had known a few of those kids since elementary school. I still thought of San Bernardino as my home and felt that I should really be going to school there. But where would we have lived? We had lost our old house, which was sold off to pay debts. We could no longer afford to live there, especially since my mother was separated from my dad. We were living on her salary and tips, which was barely enough to get by on, even in a town as inexpensive to live in as Seymour was.
On the first day of school we all went to a big room where our class assignments were handed out. The school was located in a three-storey brick building and the top floor was occupied by the junior high school, so it was not too difficult to find my classrooms. School started at the end of August and it was still blazing hot. The air conditioners in the classrooms did not help much unless you were sitting near them, and then it was difficult to hear what the teacher was saying.
Going to class was not so intimidating, but lunch was another matter. There were about 70 students in each grade, so the handful of newbies must have stuck out. When I went to find a place in the lunchroom to sit down, there were a few greetings and inquiries that seemed friendly or at least innocuous, plus one that set off subtle alarms.
"You remind me of [so-and-so]. Do you know her?" I shook my head no. There was just the faintest hint of a smile of amusement on the faces of one or two of the girls sitting next to the girl who had asked the question and I had a feeling that her remark was not meant as a compliment. I quickly went through the process of memorizing and mentally filing away the faces of the coterie of girls sprawled at the table where my interlocutor sat, noting them all as possible future sources of harassment, to be avoided when possible and to be treated with caution when avoidance wasn't possible. After five junior high schools this was a reflex reaction; only at the last school had I suffered from any form of harassment, but it was a useful trick that had developed naturally to deal with the need to continually navigate unfamiliar adolescent environments.
"Are you sure you're not related to her?" I nodded, using a slight smile and ever so slightly prolonged eye contact to express a confidence I did not feel (and hoping that my quick-to-blush face was not betraying me).
This little "thrust and parry" dance would become familiar to me over the next few years, not as a tool for insulting people, but rather as a regular Texan social ritual for testing out new acquaintances and confirming "in jokes" with established friends. I later met "so-and-so," and my suspicion that the remark had been meant as an insult was confirmed, even as I realized that there was a certain physical resemblance between "so-and-so" and me.
The girl who had asked the question did not pursue it on later occasions, nor did the other two "alpha females" with whom she tended to hang out. Oh, there were plenty of other testing jabs – with me and with everyone else with whom they came into contact. They did not become friends exactly, but they were friendly enough and I came to appreciate their sharp sense of humor. And I learned how to turn these jabs right back. The trick is not to let on that the arrow may have hit its target, that is, to give no sign of irritation or offense. A reply may be given, but it must be absolutely neutral in tone and expression and must give the impression that you are totally unaware of any malicious intent on the part of your interlocutor. But the most important thing is to look that person in the eye for just a second longer than usual and smile ever so slightly.
Monday, August 24, 2009
Memory Monday: The New Girl
3 comments:
I enjoy your Memory Monday posts. They always make me think about my own school days. Some were happy but I guess we all had days where we were the kid being harassed.ReplyDelete
Thanks, Harriet. That last junior high school was the only "iffy" one, so I guess for going to so many schools I got off lightly!ReplyDelete
Another great post from your past. I wish all middle school/high school girls could know the tricks of how to deal with the alpha girls. Sometimes we don't learn them till were grown.ReplyDelete
Subscribe to: Post Comments (Atom)


text:
Thanks again to everyone who came to last months show and helped make it such a ridiculous success - you people rule. We got a lovely review here, and the good news is that we're only half way through the 2012 season of shows - so here comes the next one...
Jenny Eclair
The first ever solo female winner of the Perrier comedy award, bestselling novelist, regular grumpy old, and loose, woman, and sublimely foul-mouthed stand-up - we are thrilled that the ever-delightful Jenny Eclair will be joining us on stage to talk about her life, career and what it really feels like to be Specsavers glasses wearer of the year 2008.
Eastend Cabaret
The sell-out smash hit of last years Edinburgh festival, and just back in town after an all-conquering run at the Adelaide fringe, the award-winning Eastend Cabaret will, in their own words, enrich your lives with tales of love, sex and communism. They are funny, filthy and fantastic.
Up and Over It
An astonishing drug and drink-fuelled, angry, spectacular cacophony of percussion, dance, domestic violence and craziness. Internet sensations Up & Over It take the concept of Irish Dance to the limit. They're going to bring the house down, and maybe go through the floor, too.
Circularity Thinking
Mat Ricardo's London Varieties is proud to announce our corporate sponsors for this months show, Circularity Thinking. Two of the company's top executives will be giving a short presentation about the company's key strategies for today's harsh business environment, and how to maximise effective upskilling while thinking inside the circle. Trust me.
A very special guest, more new stuff from me, archive footage and the usual surprises.
"Guaranteed entertainment", according to ThisIsCabaret.com
Read a review of the last show here
As always, tickets are limited, so book yours by clicking here.
See you there!
oh, and here's a little sneak look at one of the surprises we sprung last month..


text:
By Journal Register News Service
TREDYFFRIN -Police have arrested a suspect in connection with the robbery of Girl Scouts at the Pathmark Store in late January.
Jevon Michael Avis, 31, formerly of the 300 block of Beechwood Road, Berwyn, most recently residing on the 100 block of South West Street in Carlisle, was recently arraigned on theft-related charges in Cumberland County and held in lieu of $10,000 cash bail.
Avis allegedly confessed to additional crimes after his arrest, including the robbery of the Girl Scouts on Jan. 20, police said.
An investigation of that incident began Jan. 20 at approximately 5 p.m. when Tredyffrin Township Police received a report of a robbery at the Pathmark Store, 450 W. Swedesford Road, in the Berwyn section of the township.
According to police, a white man described as being of medium height and weight, between 20 and 30 years of age, wearing a dark colored head covering, a dark colored shirt and light colored pants, approached members of Girl Scout Troop 4306 as they were selling cookies from a table inside the store.
Police said the man took an unknown amount of cash from a plastic donation container intended to benefit U.S.troops before reaching into a cash box containing money from the Girl Scouts' cookie sales, taking approximately $20. The Girl Scouts quickly closed the box before the man could take any more money and he quickly fled to the rear-west side of building where he entered a blue vehicle and left, according to police.
Avis' preliminary hearing on the theft from the Girl Scoutshas not yet been scheduled.
Information from Main Line Media News, www.mainlinemedianews.com


text:
I Will Build You
"O afflicted city, lashed by storms and not comforted, I will build you with stones of turquoise, your foundations with sapphires. I will make your battlements of rubies, your gates of sparkling jewels, and all your walls of precious stones. All your sons will be taught by the LORD, and great will be your children's peace. In righteousness you will be established: Tyranny will be far from you; you will have nothing to fear. Terror will be far removed; it will not come near you. (Is.54:11-14)


text:
At first glance, C. S. Lewis and Elvis Presley seem like polar opposites. But a closer look will show that these two cultural icons have a lot in common.
Like Elvis, C. S. Lewis had been a soldier. Both men came to fame on the radio. Both men's homes (Graceland and the Kilns) have become pilgrimage sites. Both left behind estates now valued in the millions. And both rose from relative obscurityElvis, a Mississippi truck driver, and Lewis, a tutor at Oxfordto become larger-than-life figures profiled in books and movies and beloved by legions of adoring fans. Like Elvis, even after death, Lewis remains a superstar.
Clive Staples Lewis was anything but a classic evangelical, socially or theologically. He smoked cigarettes and a pipe, and he regularly visited pubs to drink beer with friends. Though he shared basic Christian beliefs with evangelicals, he didn't subscribe to biblical inerrancy or penal substitution. He believed in purgatory and baptismal regeneration. How did someone with such a checkered pedigree come to be a theological Elvis Presley, adored by evangelicals?
The Problem of Pain
The journey begins in 1940, when the world was teetering on the brink of collapse. The Nazis were rampaging across Europe. France had fallen, Hitler had signed a nonaggression pact with the Soviet Union, and only Great Britain stood in the way of Nazi domination of Europe.
Theologian J. I. Packer was a schoolboy at the time in England. He recalls being taught about "inevitable progress fueled by scientists who were churning out the idea that science was going to transform the world. Science and education would make everything wonderfully different."
Such liberal idealism quickly ran into sin-drenched reality. Packer notes ...1


text:
Possible Structures
Generative drawings —
Dimensions: 5¾ x 8¼ in (14.8 x 21 cm).
sold out
Possible Structures Series — Drawing #17
Generative drawings —
permanent marker on paper.
Dimensions: 5¾ x 8¼ in (14.8 x 21 cm).
Technique: plotter print with permanent marker.
Paper: Fabriano with dot pattern, 85g.
Provenance: hand signed by the artist.
Obs: the paper has pin holes at the corners.
Edition: 100 unique drawings.


text:
Temperature for January 1958
In January 1958 the average high temperature in Macon, GA was 0.0°F, and this was 58.9°F cooler than the average of 58.9°F. The hottest day in January 1958 was 0 January when the temperature reached 0.0°F. Overnight the average temperature in January is 34.2°F and in 1958 the average overnight temperature was 34.2°F cooler at 0.0°F.


text:
July 2001
More than six billion people now live on Earth, according to a recent census study by the United Nations. These men, women, and children may not share cultures or environment, but they all share three pressing needs: habitat, water, and food.
Kuruma shrimp in an aquaculture observation tank in Taiwan. Photographer: James P. McVey; image source: NOAA
It is the need for food that has fueled the expansion of humankind and the global demand for food will only intensify as populations increase. Where will this food come from? I am concerned, as many people are, that too many farmlands may disappear in the future, limiting our food supply. In this day, farms are under siege from a variety of dangers, including urban expansion. (The irony is that these farms themselves expanded at the cost of Earth's natural ecologies).
Since land is finite, and human hunger is not, we will have to rely more and more on the oceans. The oceans contain millions of billions of tons of seafood that is a plentiful source of protein. However, the established method of harvesting seafood — by constructing massive fleets of fishing trawlers to harvest specific species — is dangerous. Overfishing by these fleets depletes wild fish stocks and jeopardizes an ecosystem that supports a diversity of other species.
Aquaculture: a solution for dwindling farmland crops
The best alternative to fishery overharvesting is aquaculture. This kind of farming allows for a consistent harvest of seafood under controlled conditions. Aquaculture typically is practiced in coastal waters or on land whenever regular crops are not being raised.
Within the US, aquaculture is now a $1 billion industry, and globally, it is valued at $40 billion, according to the National Oceanographic and Atmospheric Agency (NOAA).
Aquaculture's many small successes have been proven. For example:
- The oyster industry in Chesapeake Bay has been rebuilt using federal research dollars.
- In New England many local fisherman have taken up opportunities in shellfish aquaculture.
- In India, fish farming is encouraged because it improves the soil and increases rice yield in the next season.
- Even the salmon you eat has a high probability of coming from an aquaculture farm.
Can aquaculture become a viable industry?
In spite of the successes, much remains to be done to make aquaculture a viable industry:
Farmers need to be educated on:
- the proper species to raise
- environmentally friendly techniques of preparing the land and raising the stock
- the diseases that afflict fish stocks and their remedies and these remedies should be made readily available to farmers
- governments should provide incentives for farmers to be good stewards of the environment
Although I believe aquaculture will be successful, it is more likely to grow in small steps because more research is needed to bring it to the same level of development as land farming, especially since, for some species, the amount of marine protein used to feed them is greater than the amount produced by aquafarming. These small steps will occur as more research reveals such factors as:
- the optimal growing conditions (especially diet)
- most suitable conditions for reproduction
- survival rates
- genetically engineered aquaculture species
For example:
- My own research, which I conducted at the Florida Institute of Technology's Aquaculture Labs, focused on how varying the fatty acid content in the diets of certain marine species affected their growth and survival rate.
- In Japan, a leading aquaculture research country, DNA was introduced last year into marine invertebrates. This could lead to the design of seafood that has more protein, tastes better, matures faster, and other qualities important to growth and consumption.
Scientists are worried about some of the disrupting consequences of aquaculture on local environments.
- The effluent of the fish stocks themselves can stimulate growth of fecal coliforms or various pathogenic bacterias.
- We could see the alteration of coastal habitats as the aquaculture or mariculture industry grows. Shrimp farming, for example, often destroys mangrove areas and it is only productive for a few years.
- There is the possibility of introducing non-indigenous species, which can result in massive damage to ecosystems.
- Few governments in the world (the U.S. included) have defined a strong policy on aquaculture operations. Global policies are urgently needed.
In conclusion
Without a viable and concentrated effort to increase protein (food) harvests by aquaculture, the Earth will soon reach a limit on how many humans it can support with land resources. According to a recent National Geographicstudy, we have less than five acres of productive land available per person worldwide to sustain us.
History has shown that when food supply is scarce, humans resort to violent means to resolve the problem. Today, there are already regional examples around the world where war and violence between factions vying for control of farmland has left thousands dead. My hope is that aquaculture will provide the means to feed the Earth's future human population cheaply, reliably, and safely.
© 2001, American Institute of Biological Sciences. Educators have permission to reprint articles for classroom use; other users, please contact firstname.lastname@example.com for reprint permission. See reprint policy.


text:
Charles F. Prevedel Federal Building
9700 Page Avenue
Overland, MO 63132
The Charles F. Prevedel Federal Building was constructed in 1990 and is part of the larger 43-acre Page Federal Complex. The five-story building was constructed adjacent to the former Federal Records Center and was named in honor of a local non-commissioned officer who served in Vietnam.
The Department of Agriculture's National Agricultural Statistics Service opened offices in the Prevedel Building in August 2011. The new NASS operation brought nearly 400 new full-time and part-time jobs to the area and rehabilitated the Prevedel Building in the process.
GSA will invest approximately $35 million over the next five years to renovate this facility.
Building amenities include:
- On-site property maintenance and management
- On-site snack shop
- Modern utilities, including HVAC, electric and telecom systems
- Ample, secure parking
- Accommodates data center functions
- Ample dining and shopping in the vicinity
- Convenient access to the Metro Link bus system


text:
Dan Morain
Dan Morain: Can legislators fashion workable gun laws?
After a three-hour hearing Tuesday focusing on gun control, some of us might have been left to wonder what more can be done in a state that has some of the strictest gun control laws in the country.
The answer is: plenty.
Sure, some legislator-poseurs will seek quick attention. Seeing that gun control is a hot topic, lawmakers already have introduced vacuous bills that are little more than press releases.
But amid the empty concepts and retreads, there is at least a chance lawmakers will confront broader issues, chief among them the intersection between severe mental illness and violence.
"Clearly, we need early intervention, early detection," said Sen. Loni Hancock, a Berkeley Democrat who chairs the Senate Public Safety Committee through which gun-related bills must pass. "We know there are people who are hurting very badly and need help."
The hearing opened at the Capitol with a video recounting the horrible day in January 1989 when a crazed drifter with an assault rifle slaughtered five children at Cleveland Elementary School in Stockton, the nation's first mass shooting at a school, but sadly not the last.
California legislators reacted by banning assault weapons. More than 20 years later, gun enthusiasts still can buy knockoffs of the guns banned by that law and other laws adopted since.
The hearing ended with the testimony of Amanda Wilcox, who with her husband, Nick Wilcox, lobbies for gun control for the Brady Campaign to Prevent Gun Violence.
Chatter that is a constant in legislative hearing rooms quieted when Wilcox recounted how her daughter was shot to death by a mentally ill gunman in January 2001, and described what awaits parents of the 20 first-graders massacred at Sandy Hook Elementary School.
"They don't fully realize the loss," she said. There will, for example, be pain on holidays and at graduations and weddings. "What should be their best days will become their worst days."
In 2002, the Legislature approved Laura's Law authorizing counties, with court approval, to impose outpatient treatment on severely mentally ill people. So far, only Wilcox's own Nevada County has fully embraced the program.
In California, the left has resisted imposing treatment on severely mentally ill people, including those who are too ill to know they need help. Perhaps that will change, with support from the likes of Hancock.
"Everybody would do it if there were money," Hancock said, suggesting that the Legislature might be prepared to free up some money for counties to more aggressively treat the most mentally ill among us before they commit heinous acts. "This is a moment when we can make progress."
There is money, $1 billion a year raised by Proposition 63, the 2004 initiative. So far, however, legislators have refused to permit the money to be used to implement the law. That ought to change, finally.
Other ideas could make a difference, too: barring chronic alcohol abusers from owning guns; treating the sale of ammunition like the sale of guns by prohibiting felons from buying bullets; and licensing ammunition sellers.
Of course, California can do only so much. Gun enthusiasts can go to Nevada or Arizona, and buy weapons that can't be purchased legally here. But California lawmakers can take steps.
On Tuesday, Senate Democrats introduced legislation to allocate several million dollars to amp up a state Department of Justice effort to seize guns from people who once were legally entitled to own them, but later committed crimes or were detained because of serious mentally illness.
The department's most recent count indentified 19,784 individuals who bought more than 38,000 guns legally, and then lost the privilege of owning them. As it is, 33 state agents try to enforce what's called the Armed Prohibited Persons System program. The money would be used to hire and train more agents.
The big stuff aside, there are legislators who are elbowing aside each other to claim credit for ideas that aren't their own and suggesting bills that aren't thought through.
One measure, Alameda Democrat Rob Bonta's Assembly Bill 174, "would begin the conversation on ending the grandfathering of existing weapons which are now illegal to purchase but are still legal to possess," according to a press release.
If Bonta, a freshman, wants to force gun owners to turn in certain military-style assault weapons and high-capacity magazines that once were legal in California, he should push that legislation. But that'd be hard work. I guess he thinks it's better to talk about it.
You could excuse the silliness by noting the session is new. But gun control is not new in California. Legislators have approved dozens of gun control measures in the years since the Cleveland Elementary School shooting. The question for now is whether lawmakers have the will to take the time to fashion legislation that truly can make a difference.


text:
Top Enlisted Soldier Provides Hands-On Leadership
By Fred W. Baker III
American Forces Press Service
WASHINGTON, April 25, 2007 - Army Command Sgt. Maj. Jeffery Hartless, an airborne ranger and master parachutist, served nearly his entire 24-year career jumping out of planes. He earned parachute badges from Italy, Jordan, Norway, Korea, Germany and Honduras. His airborne career ended, though, when he was crushed under a 10-ton front loader in Afghanistan in 2005. Once stable, Hartless was taken to Walter Reed Army Medical Center here.
He has since recovered, but in an ironic and unlikely career twist for an infantryman, Hartless' injuries have brought him back again to Walter Reed -- this time to apply his combat leadership skills to taking care of wounded warriors as the top noncommissioned officer in the Warrior Transition Brigade. The brigade stood up its headquarters and first company in a ceremony at the center today.
When Hartless was injured in Afghanistan, his femur was smashed in six places; a titanium rod now holds it in place. His pelvis was broken at the socket. All of his ribs were broken, and he suffered lung and liver damage. His left foot had literally exploded under the pressure, and his left arm was nearly pulled off.
Miraculously, the doctors were able to put Hartless back together, with all body parts still intact and functioning. He later called the care he received here "fantastic" and "unbelievable."
The two-time combat veteran now will lead a new group of NCOs, many hand-picked by the sergeant major of the army, tasked with improving soldier care at Walter Reed. In his leadership "rucksack," Hartless brings a hands-on approach that starts at the squad leader level.
"They will have a squad leader again," Hartless said of wounded warriors recovering here. "(Each squad leader) is going to know them. He's going to know their family. He's going to know what unit they are in. He's going to know the appointments they have. He's going to know whether his soldier needs help getting to his appointments."
A few months ago, at the time the center came under fire for poor outpatient soldier care, there were no squad leaders assigned to help lead the wounded soldiers, and the staff of platoon sergeants had as many as 50 patient soldiers each to care for.
"Fifty-to-one is horrible. (The platoon sergeant) is just trying to account for his people. What problems can he solve?" Hartless said.
When the staff of the new brigade is manned at its intended 166 soldiers in June, squad leaders will have only nine to 12 soldiers in their care.
Hartless said leadership at the squad leader level is critical because it allows for the face-to-face and hands-on communication needed to ensure proper soldier care. As an example, Hartless cited the practice of an infantry squad leader just after a combat encounter:
"An infantry squad leader -- once they've consolidate, they've pushed through the objective, ... that squad leader goes to every solder and puts his hands on him and feels him," Hartless said. "Why is he doing that? He's talking to him. How much ammo do you have left? How much water do you have left? He's getting a status report.
"But he's feeling him to see if he's bleeding. Because (the soldier's) adrenalin is running so high sometimes you have a wounded soldier and you don't know until you put your hands on him," he said.
Because squad leaders have that hands-on relationship, "that young private ... knows his squad leader cares for him personally," Hartless said.
Hartless, who hails from the one-stoplight town of Amherst, Va., just a little more than three hours south of the sprawling Walter Reed campus, said healing will be wounded soldiers' mission while at the center.
"To me a soldier's mission is healing while they are here. That's their mission. Just like they get a task or a mission in a regular unit -- we want them to heal,"" he said.
Hartless was serving as the garrison command sergeant major at Fort Polk, La., when the sergeant major of the army tapped him for this post. The infantryman said he had no angst about putting on the medical patch to take this assignment. But, it has been an adjustment, he conceded
"It's a different feeling. Acronyms are different here. CLS is not combat lifesaver, its common levels of support. I have to learn a different language as I go. I learn something every day, so it's good," Hartless said.
"(I have) no angst about the patch. The patch is just the history. It's the people that make the units," he said.
Hartless said his injuries, his familiarity with the care at the center, and his ability to empathize with soldiers looking at the end of their careers make him a good fit for the job. But, for the soft-spoken sergeant major who has spent his career down in the dirt with his troops, the "honor" is all his.
"It's quite an honor ... to be selected for this, to help take care of our injured soldiers. It's just an honor," Hartless said.
Hartless was injured when he was run over by an Afghan driving a 10-ton front end loader. As the command sergeant major of the 2nd Battalion (Airborne), 503rd Infantry Regiment, he had just finished checking guard posts on his forward operation base and was rounding the corner of a row of metal storage units when hit. Officials never determined if the incident was intentional. The Afghan ran and left him for dead, he said.
"I am lucky to be alive. The hand of God reached to me and said it's not time to come home yet. He's let me go on another day here for a purpose," Hartless said.
His surgeon and physical therapist still work at the hospital.
"They put me back together. I feel it every day. I have no complaints because I have everything. Everything works," Hartless said. "I won't say I can run anymore. I jog. I'm really not supposed to run that much, but I do it anyway, I guess because I'm hard-headed -- an infantry guy. I can go back to an infantry brigade or battalion and function."
Hartless said it was a "hard thing to accept" when officials first suggested that he may have to medically retire due to his injuries.
"I didn't believe it. I knew I could heal. I knew I carry a rucksack again. I knew I could go with the boys out on patrol," he said. "In my heart I knew I could do it. In my mind I knew I could do it too. I pushed myself because I wanted to get back. I wanted to be with those troops again.
"Today I can go. I can deploy and fight and win," he said.
[Web Version: http://www.defenselink.mil/news/newsarticle.aspx?id=32940]


text: Fossil was founded in 1984 and has an identity that is very much built on the foundations of vintage. However, this is combined with a creativity and focus on avante garde technology with respect to materials and design that produces a finished product that is compellingly contemporary. This is evident in the range of bracelets from Fossil, which features numerous different styles. There are charm bracelets, wrist wraps, vintage chain link designs, cuffs and leather ID style bracelets, as well as beaded and braided leather options. The line includes numerous different materials, from silver and gold, through to pavé balls and coloured leathers.