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Today Lisa's Mum brings you the story of Robbie and the Beanstalk. This story is about a young boy (well, he is actually a man but is kind of short) from the land of Katusha. Katusha is a faraway place in Russia where everyone wears their sunglasses on the outside of their helmet straps and young boys like Robbie marry hot podium girls and name their kids after themselves.
Robbie was on his way to Stage 1 one day, wheeling his bicycle beside him, when he came across a gnome who was also wheeling his bike. Robbie knew he was a gnome because he was wearing a rainbow on his front and was also short. "That gnome is short," thought Robbie. "I bet he has a hot wife too, although not as hot as mine and with no kids named after him. I wonder why he is keeping a caterpillar on his brow."
Robbie stopped to say hello. "Where are you going, gnome?" he asked.
"Why, are you from WADA?" the gnome replied.
"No," Robbie answered, feeling a little uncomfortable. "But I am going to Stage 1 and I have lost my way. Please help me or my ruler from Katusha will take away my hot wife who is probably hotter than yours and will make me go back to peeling turnips and being a lead-out man rather than the super-hot sprinting machine that my fans know and love."
The gnome smiled. Robbie flinched. "I can help you," the gnome said (for he was a kind gnome, and largely misunderstood). "I have these magic beans that will help you find your way to Stage 1." The gnome whipped out some brown mouldy beans from the cavernous dimple in his chin. "But in exchange you will have to give me something. Not the Ridley."
Robbie rummaged around in his jersey pockets and pulled out a set of race radios. "Here, gnome. Take these radios that I borrowed from Astana. They assured me that they were valuable but that they would not need them today as all their riders are super-alert and would never leave behind the defending tour champion on a hill 8 minutes down from the leader. They are yours."
Robbie took the beans from the gnome and bade farewell. Once out of sight, he examined them. "Oh crap," he thought. "The gnome has tricked me. These beans aren't even arabica. I may be from Russia but even we Katushans draw the line at robusta. And he could have thrown in a grinder. These beans are worthless."
Robbie threw the beans off a nearby cliff in disgust. Suddenly, there was a mighty roar and the earth shook as the beans came to life, growing into a huge beanstalk leading up into the clouds.
Robbie thought about climbing the beanstalk, but he was a cyclist and cyclists don't climb up stairs, let alone beanstalks. Luckily he spied an elevator built into the beanstalk and jumped into it, pressing the button for the top.
When the elevator had reached the top of the beanstalk and Robbie got out, he heard another almighty roar. Robbie took a few steps forward and saw what it was that had made the roar. A giant dressed in yellow and white sat at a giant table, eating babies and spitting out the bones to his mechanic, who was chiselling them down to use as spokes for his new race wheels.
The giant stopped eating and looked up, for he had heard something (Robbie was still wearing his cleats and his steps were rather noisy).
Fee fi fo fum, bellowed the giant, I smell the blood of a Katushian!
"Hello," said Robbie, "My name is Robbie and I am from the land of Katusha where we wear sunglasses on the outside of our helmet straps and get to marry hot podium chicks and name our kids after ourselves. Do you have a hot wife?"
"My name," bellowed the giant, "Is Andre and I eat babies and win races and when I am in a bunch sprint my calves glisten like the sun and my eyes narrow into little slits of hate. After I win my races I sit in a bath made from the tears of a thousand albino maidens and eat grapes peeled by my mechanic, who is building those new race wheels behind you."
"I have come to beat you," said Robbie. "For I am the thunder from down under and while the crowd may gasp at your strength and marvel at your blonde locks and blue eyes, it is I who have their hearts and all their plastic clappers will be clapping for me (and maybe also for Stuey O'Grady, but mostly for me). And if any clappers clap for you, it will be because people see you in yellow and think that you are Mick Rogers."


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50 years ago this week: Don Hutson, former University of Alabama and Green Bay Packers wide receiver, was the first of 17 charter members of the National Professional Football Hall of Fame.
Don Hutson, former University of Alabama and Green Bay Packers wide receiver, was the first of 17 charter members of the National Professional Football Hall of Fame.
A group of local businessmen, civic leaders and welfare workers, fighting to keep a surplus food program alive, appealed to the Tuscaloosa City Commission, the Northport City Council and the County Board of Revenue for help; all three governing bodies had voted the previous fall to stop the program.
Tuscaloosa County schools were closed for two days because one-fourth of the county's school buses were stuck on muddy roads, the largest number of buses ever stuck at one time.
The University of Alabama received the deed to Druid Gardens, an apartment complex on 10th Avenue and Hargrove Road that had 130 units, which the university would use for married student housing.
Grocer R.A. Benicoff, operator of the Little Giant Food Store in Alberta, was declared not guilty by Judge Henry Mayfield of charges of opening a store on Sundays in violation of state blue laws.
P.B. Raiford was expected to resign as executive vice president of the Tuscaloosa Chamber of Commerce after efforts to oust him were unsuccessful. The chamber's general manager, John Caldwell, was expected to resign as well. Lynn P. Hardin, manager of membership and public relations, had resigned to accept a position as personnel director of the Huyck Felt Co. of Aliceville. This left the chamber without a paid executive.
Frank A. Rose, president of the University of Alabama, was offered the presidency of the University of Kentucky, but was apparently not considering leaving Alabama.
The University of Alabama received $1 million to establish the Ray E. Loper Endowed Chair of Geology.
Syndicated columnist William Raspberry was scheduled to speak at Stillman College during its seventh annual Black Heritage Festival.
Tuscaloosa officials received a check for about $91,000 from Northport to settle a two-year-old sewage treatment debt, and they said they would drop efforts to sue Northport for the money.
A Birmingham grand jury indicted Mildred Arnold Hughes Trammel, 39, on a charge of plotting the murder of her mother, Joan Warner VanZele of Ponte Vedra Beach, Fla., to inherit $2 million from the Gulf States Paper Corp. fortune.
A confidential report filed by an undercover agent who worked in Tuscaloosa's Public Works Department detailed incidents of drinking on the job, not working during job hours and the selling of city-issued clothing for personal profit. Mayor Al DuPont said all violations outlined in the report would be dealt with when the report was made public.
An armed and masked man, identified as James L. Harvey, held about 85 students hostage at West End Christian School in Tuscaloosa. The students were released with no injuries after Harvey was shown a videotape of Gov. Guy Hunt signing a fake pardon.
Charles W. Aultman, 22, was convicted of capital murder in the death of Freda Elledge Rosborough and was sentenced to life in prison.
The University of Alabama confirmed Robert Witt as its new president.
The Northport City Council became the first local government body to set new restriction on the hours that bars can sell alcohol. The code prohibited alcohol sales between 1 and 6 a.m. on weekdays and 2 and 6:30 a.m. on weekends.
A $3 million retail shopping center at the northwest corner of U.S. Highway 82 and Harper Road near Wal-Mart was approved.
The City Council banned the use of household furniture outside.
New Crimson Tide head football coach Mike Price purchased the house previously owned by his predecessor, Dennis Franchione.
A clock tower was installed in the courtyard in front of Shelton State Community College as a tribute to the school's past and future.
Northport City Planner Lew Drummond stepped down from his job to begin a new job as executive director of the Shelton State Community College Foundation after a 31-year tenure with the city of Northport.
The Alabama gymnastics team upended Michigan in its home opener after what was likely a season-ending injury to freshman Ashley Miles two days earlier.
James Hood spoke to a group at the University of Alabama about his experience when he helped dismantle segregation at the institution in 1963 by walking past Gov. George C. Wallace into Foster Auditorium and registering for classes along with Vivian Malone.
The entire allotment of Alabama softball tickets was sold out in the form of season tickets.
Maurice Sledge, who had worked for the City's Water and Sewer Department for 31 years, retired as head of the department.
Attorneys for Hall-Taylor Construction, a Tuscaloosa company implicated in a federal investigation into the state's two-year college system, denied the government's claims of the company's involvement.
Jim McElwain accepted Nick Saban's offer to become the offensive coordinator and quarterbacks coach for the University of Alabama football team.
The developers of a planned mixed-use complex, called 115 Greensboro, to be built on the former Tuscaloosa Chevrolet property at the corner of Jack Warner Parkway and Greensboro Avenue, presented new plans to the City Council after some officials said the initial plan had too little retail and commercial space and too high a concentration for student housing for the size of the site. With a 4-2 vote, the Tuscaloosa City Council rejected the proposed $42 million development.
Holy Spirit Catholic School celebrated 50 years of educating students with more than 500 students in pre-kindergarten through 12th grades.
The last of three updated floodplains maps for the city's tornado recovery zone were completed and set for approval by the Federal Emergency Management Agency.
Compiled by retired News librarian Betty Slowe.

subset: commoncrawl


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(Abelmoschus esculentus) This African native and staple of the Deep South really thrives on heat! Slaves from Angola called okra "ngumbo" which became gumbo, a popular name for several okra dishes to this day. Does best when direct-sown into warm soil, but can be started earlier indoors and transplanted, so long as the young plants aren't allowed to become root bound. Soil for okra need not be especially rich; plants are drought tolerant but produce more with adequate moisture. Keeping pods picked encourages further production.
COOK IT! Okra Recipes HERE
GROW IT! Okra Growing Tips HERE


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Khujo Goodie (Goodie Mob) - Shittin Me
Khujo Goodie (Goodie Mob) "Shittin Me" OFFICIAL MUSIC VIDEO Produced by James Wade, Khujo Goodie & Big Vision Executive Produced by Up Da Game Ent.
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Long time journalist and radio personality, Mick Holien is now on 750 KERR! Tune in weekdays after the news and weather at 9am and 5pm. Plus, check out the show archives, on demand at 750kerr.com
The Mission Mountain Wood Band on DVD, featuring their concert on Flathead Lake, July 4th 2014. Order online here


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WelshGen on Family Tree Circles
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Journals and Posts
Wales Look-ups
This is more about my wife's ancestors than my own. My wife was a Jones (oh no!, not one of those I hear you say). She is now a Hughes, can it get any worse for looking up Welsh ancestors. Erm actually it can because she is descended from a very long line of Williams.
In order to do the research for my wife I've acquired the complete census returns for Caernarvonshire (now Gwynedd) in North Wales for the years 1891, 1881, 1861, 1851, and 1841 as well as a lot of other bits and pieces too numerous to mention in this post. If anyone wants a look-up then just ask
My wife's ancestors are all from the Lleyn Peninsula in North Wales (it's the bit that sticks out and looks as if it is pointing to Ireland) Two of the better websites for this area are RHIW
Blunt surname facts
Since I'm researching the Blunt surname it may be helpful to know where the highest density of Blunts where in the UK in approximately 1890's. Highest density is Northants (9% of total), Kent(8%) and Lancashire(7%). The Midlands, Yorks and Essex and Sussex come next with somewhere between 3% and 6%, and the rest of England and Wales with 1% or less.
I started to collect as many Blunt families as I could find and put them on one or two pages. Strangely they seem to be in the West Midlands in the 1861 and 1881 census. Maybe they all got together after this and decided to spread their wings.
link text and link text
If anyone knows of any more get in touch and I'll add them to one of those pages.
Origin of Blunt/Blount: derived from the Old French word blund, meaning blond or fair
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Fat Freddy's Drop
headline next year's Classic Hits Winery Tour with support from two Kiwi supergroups.
The Wellington seven-piece dub, reggae and dancefloor-soul masters will be joined by trio Anika Moa, Boh Runga, and Hollie Smith, and opening the concerts are the Adults featuring Jon Toogood, Julia Deans and Shayne Carter.
This year's 17-date tour starts at Ascension Estate in Matakana on February 2, finishes at Hamilton's Mystery Creek on March 3, and includes a show on March 2 at Auckland's Villa Maria Estate.
As well as trotting out their trippy tunes from previous albums, Based on a True Story from 2005 and 2009's Dr Boondigga and the Big BW, Fat Freddy's will also be playing songs from new album Blackbird, which is due for release in February.
Head honcho Chris Faiumu (aka DJ Fitchie, or Mu to his mates) says he and the fellow Freddy's can't wait to hit the road again in February. "The venues that we're playing are an amazing environment to hear our music - and this year's line-up is fantastic, edgy and dynamic. It's a great way to kick off the year."
Meanwhile, following their nationwide church tour, Anika, Boh and Hollie will perform a mix of their own songs as well as new material from their forthcoming debut album which is also out in February.
Runga says the three of them are looking forward to doing another tour, especially a crawl around New Zealand's flashest vineyards. "We're a bit more comfortable in wineries," she laughs. "So these shows can only get bigger and better. And with a line-up like this, how could you go wrong?"
Toogood agrees: "Totally looking forward to the tour. We get to see some beautiful parts of the country with good people and great music. What's not to love?"
Now in its seventh year the tour's 100th show will also be celebrated at Black Barn Vineyards in Havelock North on February 8. This year also sees the release of the Winery Tour commemorative album (out November 2), featuring a track from each artist from past and present tours.
For full tour dates and ticket information go to winerytour.co.nz or become a friend on Facebook. Tickets, which go on sale November 5, are also available from Ticketmaster.
Kora play an intimate and exclusive show tonight at Galatos in celebration of long awaited second album Light Years, which is out tomorrow. But come summer the band of Whakatane brothers - and their mate Dan McGruer - will be taking their new songs to the people with a eight-date summer tour starting at Black Barn Vineyard in Havelock North on Dec 22 and including dates at Matakana Country Park (Jan 2) and the Mangawhai Tavern (Jan 5).
For full tour dates and ticketing info go to muchmoremusic.co.nz. Presale tickets on sale Tuesday with general sales November 1 at Ticketmaster.
Also playing in support of a new album, and reconvening from their different home bases around the world, are hootin' and howlin' rockers The Datsuns.
The four-piece - whose members live in London, Stockholm, Auckland and Wellington - released their fifth album Death Rattle Boogie last week and play Wellington's Bodega on Dec 22 and Galatos in Auckland on Dec 23.
Tickets on sale from Undertheradar.co.nz and Real Groovy (Auckland).
Speaking of hootin' and howlin', Australian rocker and crooner Jimmy Barnes teams up with local lass Gin Wigmore for a Christmas holiday jaunt on the Red Hot Summer Tour.
The dates include concerts at Mangawhai Tavern on Dec 27, Coroglen Tavern, Dec 28, Matakana Country Park, Dec 30, Brewers Bar, Mt Maunganui, Dec 31. Tickets on sale Monday from Ticketmaster.
In other tour news, Elvis Costello was meant to play at last year's Grass Roots Festival until it was cancelled. But the singer, songwriter and showman will be back next year for his very own A Day on the Green concert at Auckland's Villa Maria Estate on Jan 19.
Backed by his trusty band the Imposters - keyboardist Steve Nieve, drummer Pete Thomas and bassist Davey Faragher - the show will take fans on a "refresher course" of Costello's vast musical catalogue and his classic hits.
In support will be Kiwi music's elder statesmen Tim Finn and Don McGlashan with his band Seven Sisters, and former Australian Crawl frontman James Reyne - remember Boys Light Up and Reckless? - also joins the line-up.
Tickets on sale Nov 1 from Ticketmaster.
Finally, Irish pop rock superstars The Script play Vector Arena on Apr 12 in support of their imaginatively entitled third album, #3.
The album features current top 10 single Hall of Fame featuring Will.I.Am, which has held steady at the top of the pops for a number of weeks.
Pre-sale tickets for Frontier members on sale from 2pm today until 2pm, Friday, at frontiertouring.com/thescript. General sales from Oct 29 at Ticketmaster.


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Compare cheap flights to Islamabad
When is the cheapest time to fly to Islamabad?
What to do in Islamabad
Islamabad is the capital city of Pakistan, and it's one of the top destinations in Asia. Blessed with natural beauty, rich history, and manmade wonders, travellers of all sorts will find something to love in the city.
Discover Islamabad's colourful history and stop by the Lok Virsa Museum and Golra Sharif Railway Museum. If you love art, you have to visit the National Art Gallery too. Are you travelling with kids? No worries! Islamabad has the Pakistan Museum of Natural History for your family.
Have a nice walk in Margalla Hills or take a crack at paragliding. You'll also find here the Daman-e-Koh viewing point, which has panoramic views of Islamabad. Enjoy a picnic, sailing, go-kart racing, wall climbing, and more at Rawal Lake and Lake View Park. Take pictures or play a round of tennis and cricket at Fatima Jinnah Park. Then add a pop of colour to your travel photos at Rose and Jasmine Garden.
Take in the incredible architecture of Islamabad with a visit to the iconic Shah Faisal Mosque. It's even more beautiful during sunset and at night. Head for the Golra Sharif too. And complete your travel photos at the Pakistan National Monument.
Experience the culture of Islamabad with a trip to Saidpur Village as well as Potohari Arts and Crafts Village. You can also go shopping at the city's Village Handicrafts, The Centaurus Mall, Safa Gold Mall, and Kohsar Market.
The best way for you to see Islamabad like a true local is by attending the city's events. There's Ramadan and Chand Raat. Celebrate Eid-al-Fitr and Muhammed's birthday. Are you a bookworm? Then you'll love the Islamabad Literature Festival in April too.
So what are you waiting for? Start planning your Islamabad trip now!
When to visit Islamabad
The best time to visit Islamabad is from November to mid-April, when you can enjoy the best weather. But to save more on airfare, book your flights for November because, it's the cheapest time to fly to Islamabad.
You and other Australians can fly to Pakistan and travel to Islamabad once you secure your travel visa. Get more info and find out how to apply by visiting Pakistan's Missions in Australia and Smartraveller. Don't forget to check if your passport is valid for at least six months when you return to Australia.
Travelling to and around Islamabad
Once you touchdown at Benazir Bhutto International Airport, you can reach the city by taxi, bus, and van. You can easily travel around Islamabad by taxi and bus.
There's no time to waste! Don't miss out on this gorgeous city and get your passport to book your Islamabad flights with Skiddoo today.
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I love everything written by Alison Fraser except for Princess and Bride Required. I am just heartsick that she apparently no longer writes. In the blurb at the front of all her novels, it said that writing did not come easy for her. Hard to believe. Read full review
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Your insurance questions answered:
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Freelance Writing – Access 100's of Freelance Jobs
Writing jobs have somehow seemed to have gotten buried and become unrecognised as the lucrative job it really is. Writing jobs have become under-rated by many as being a good earning method, however, writing jobs are actually one of the best paying gigs out there today. There are an enormous amount of jobs literally overflowing for online article writers and marketers. People often think of writing jobs as something where you need to be an English major or have all sorts of specific degrees to get a job like that which is actually untrue. Nowadays you can get paid as an amateur typist, writing about – just about any topic. Even if your spelling is not the best, all you need is "spell check" and that solves that problem.
Now whether you have experience or not you can still earn good money. It's just a matter of which route you take because if you're an inexperienced writer you are better off earning on commission if you expect to make it worth your while. There are a lot of companies that will pay extremely high amounts per article if your writing talent and experience is intermediate or above. I've seen companies such as prestigious magazines that will pay $1000 per article. Now this alone should be a clear motivator for one to get into this field. The great thing about writing is the more you write, the more experience you get. You can get paid to learn as you go in this field. Even if you've never written a single line in your entire life you can start at the bottom and still get paid. There's many places that have lower standards and guidelines. Although the money won't be as great, money is money nevertheless.
Paid to Write In Blogs
There are many people/companies that will pay you to blog. If you have your own blog, you can receive money from various companies to post reviews about their business. So even an inexperienced blogger can still make a living opening up their own blog this way. All his or her writing content would be obtained from the subject the companies want you to write about. So for those of you that say "I don't know what to write about," that problem is solved.
There's multiple ways to earn money from having your own blog and the wonderful thing about it is blogs are 100% free. However, not everyone desires to have a blog or do blogging, but having a blog can be beneficial in other ways such as using it solely for your portfolio. Every striving writer should have one.
Can You Make Real Money Writing?
If you're not a serious writer or never thought too much further into the subject you wouldn't realize what a solid income this work can bring. As most people assume, it's just good for a little extra side money. That's not true at all. Many that did follow the correct procedures, created their professional portfolio and proceeded to do the steps necessary to further their writing career actually landed a steady writing job or some have landed a few regulars that want them to write for them on a consistent basis. For most, the goal is to get hired onto one specific company that pays a weekly based salary which like any other good job would include benefits. Unfortunately the average person wouldn't even get that far as they give up within the first week or two. Just like any other high paying career, you have to pay your dues but it's not as hard as most would think. The most important thing of all is to follow a precise plan. Many just jump right into it and apply to the first job they see and often will get disappointed. Because this is mistake number one. There are several things one needs to figure out and make important decisions on before applying anywhere. There's preparations to be made. If these are not followed, one will seems extremely amateurish and unorganized to any company and this will cause you to not get hired – bottom line.
Getting Scammed – Beware
This is a common practice that is being done by even companies and they specifically prey on newbies. Educate yourself before jumping into this niche because this is one of the many reasons you will quit before you ever get started.
Okay, so it's very common that a company will ask you to see your work before they decide to hire you. So this is the scam part – There are companies that will ask you to write them a 300-500 word article on the subject at hand. Could be anything. Then once they receive your newly written work they tell you – "sorry," although we liked your writing, you just do not have the particulars that we are looking for. However, they now have a 300-500 word ORIGINAL article and they didn't have to pay a dime! They'll do this to the next 100 applicants and they go on to sell your work and you'll never know.
The Solution
NEVER, I mean NEVER submit a newly written article no matter what they say or request. What you do is you will make a file with your already pre-written articles which will be used for every job you apply to. These companies need to be made aware of this so they won't waste your time.
Recommended Freelance Writing Program
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1000's of jobs included with the Writing Jobs Online
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Editor's Overview
As General Motors' resident heavyweight, the 2015 Chevrolet Silverado HD is the answer to Ford's F-Series Super Duty and Ram HD trucks. While it doesn't offer a top-tier trim level, the latest Silverado HD has plenty of muscle to get the job done.
You'll Like The 2015 Chevrolet Silverado 3500HD If...
If your livelihood requires towing heavy objects long distances, or you just need some extra muscle around the farm, the 2015 Chevrolet Silverado HD is ready and more than able.
You May Not Like The 2015 Chevrolet Silverado 3500HD If...
There's no ultra-lux trim offered on Chevy's heavy-duty model like on the Ford F-Series, Ram HD, or even the Sierra Denali HD. If you need to go bed every night knowing that your truck can haul the most, you'll want to look elsewhere, too.
What's New
Both the interior and exterior design catches up to that of the Silverado light-duty truck that was released for 2014. Other styling tweaks include the rear bumper CornerStep and LED lights that illuminate the bed.
Interior Features
It was achingly necessary to get the restyling done on the 2015 Chevy Silverado HD interior. The base WT model sports a vinyl bench and doesn't bring much else with it. The WT model is exactly what its initials stand for: Work Truck. The upper-echelon LT trim comes with features like an EZ-Liftgate, Sirius XM radio, leather seats, and a 4.2-inch display screen for the driver. The top-flight LTZ trim brings all of the aforementioned features plus a heavy-duty locking rear differential.
Exterior Features
The other major restyling point on the 2015 Chevrolet Silverado HD is its exterior, which catches up to that of its light-duty Silverado 1500 sibling. Now, a boxy front-end with chrome accents, a raised power-dome hood, and sculpted taillights set the 2015 Silverado HD model apart from those before it. A rear bumper CornerStep has also been added for the latest model year. The same two models, the 2500 and 3500, are still offered.
Driving Impressions
During our time with the 2015 Silverado HD, the drive route consisted mostly of long highway stretches, and the miles slipped by thanks to the spacious cabin and a drivetrain that did its part to keep quiet. After a few hours of seat time with and without a trailer in tow, we never felt worse for wear. After we had our fill of towing everyday things like the fifth wheel, we hooked the Duramax diesel up to a trailer carrying 10,000 pounds and drove it up and down a steep grade, rising to an altitude as high as 5,000 feet above sea level at one point. The Silverado HD demonstrated that it can control just about anything you'll ever need to tow. Each trailer had minimal wag and the 6-speed Allison transmission – working in conjunction with an exhaust brake – kept everything under control while going downhill.
Pricing Notes
If you want the bare essentials, you can get out the door with a 2015 Chevrolet Silverado HD for as low as $31,310. A well-equipped 4-wheel-drive 3500 crew cab LTZ can cost somewhere in the neighborhood of $48,000. Adding the $8,400 Duramax engine/Allison transmission combo (our recommendation) and checking every option box means you'll be looking at forking over more than $60,000. At first glance, that figure may be a little shocking for a pickup truck, but when you look at its closest competitors in Ram and Ford, that number falls right in line. Before buying, be sure to check the Kelley Blue Book Fair Purchase Price to see what others in your area are paying for a 2015 Silverado HD. The resale value of the Silverado HD is also in line with the competition, and springing for the diesel engine will help keep the value high.
Notable Equipment
Being that it is a work truck at its core, the Silverado HD won't spoil you too much. It will, however, bring you a beefy V8 engine, antilock disc brakes, air conditioning, and stability control. Climbing up the trim ladder brings you leather seats, steering-wheel-mounted controls, Bluetooth, and a heavy-duty locking rear differential. An all-new electric assist heater, standard on all Silverado HD models equipped with a Duramax engine, helps to warm the cabin quickly. The new CornerStep bumper seen on the 2014 Silverado light-duty makes the jump to the 2015 HD models. A locking tailgate is also standard.
Notable Options
Perhaps the easiest option to spring for on the 2015 Chevrolet Silverado HD is the 6.6-liter Duramax turbodiesel V8. The robust Duramax engine and the 4-wheel drive are two options we recommend going for. Other notable options include a touch-screen navigation system, Bose audio, an EZ-Lift tailgate, and a snow-plow prep package.
Favorite Features
An all-new upright instrument cluster features six gauges and a slew of large, easy-to-use rubberized knobs responsible for various things like climate control and radio volume. Ambient lighting illuminates all of the vital switches in the cabin making each easier to locate when driving at night.
The cheapest way to feel like you're driving an 18-wheeler without actually buying one. Paired with a 6-speed automatic Allison transmission, the Duramax turbodiesel engine is the strong, silent type as it operates quietly and pours on the power in an even fashion.
Under the Hood
There are two choices of V8 motivation under the hood in the form of a 360-horsepower 6.0-liter gasoline engine and a 380-horsepower 6.6-liter Duramax turbodiesel engine, both mated to 6-speed automatic transmissions. The gasoline engine is rated 397 lb-ft of torque while the 6.6-liter V8 Duramax diesel churns out an awesome 765 lb-ft of twist. Maximum conventional trailering for the gasoline V8 goes up to 13,000 pounds when properly equipped and has a Gross Combined Vehicle Weight of 20,500 pounds. The Duramax V8 also has a maximum conventional trailering weight of 13,000 pounds and a Gross Combined Vehicle Weight of 24,500 pounds. An exhaust braking system comes along with the diesel engine to help control the truck and its load's speed while descending a hill.
6.0-liter V8 with 6-speed automatic transmission
360 horsepower @ 5,400
397 lb-ft of torque @ 3,000
EPA city/highway fuel economy: N/A
6.6-liter turbocharged diesel V8 with Allison 6-speed automatic transmission
380 horsepower @ 4,200 rpm
765 lb-ft of torque @ 1,600 rpm
EPA city/highway fuel economy: N/A
Editors' Notes
The heavy-duty truck crowd isn't a particularly tough one to satisfy. If you haul heavy objects, you're going to need some muscle and that's exactly what the 2015 Chevrolet Silverado 2500 and 3500 HD trucks offer. Like its corporate sibling – the 2015 GMC Sierra 2500 and 3500 HD – the Silverado HD is General Motors' response to Ford's F-Series Super Duty and Ram HD trucks. Both the Silverado 2500 and 3500 HD offer your choice of a 6.0-liter V8 gasoline engine and a 6.6-liter Duramax turbodiesel V8, the latter being legendary in its own right. The choices go on from different cab configurations to bed lengths to trim levels. While it's not the brawniest in class, the Silverado HD has plenty of brute strength to get the job done.


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SanDisk ExpressCard Moves Directly From Video Camera to Computer, Supports the SxS Video Specification and Sony's New XDCAM EX Camcorder
MILPITAS, CALIFORNIA, September 13, 2007 - SanDisk® Corporation (NASDAQ:SNDK) today launched the SanDisk Express™ line of high-performance flash memory products, based on the ExpressCard™ technology standard. SanDisk Express products aim to deliver best-of-class solutions for professional videographers and photographers who demand speed, durability and reliability.
The first product in the SanDisk Express line is the SanDisk ExpressCard, a flash memory card designed for a new generation of professional camcorders that record to ExpressCards rather than magnetic tape, hard discs or optical discs.
The SanDisk ExpressCard is expected to be available in November, in 8 gigabyte (GB)1 and 16 gigabyte capacities. Recording time for high-definition video capture, at 35 megabits per second, will be approximately 30 minutes on the 8GB card and 60 minutes on the 16GB card2.
Sony is the first major video equipment manufacturer to adopt ExpressCards as video recording media, with its new XDCAM EX camcorder. SanDisk and Sony have jointly developed SxS, a specification to verify that ExpressCard memory cards will support the high-speed performance required for professional video. The SanDisk ExpressCard carries the SxS logo, and is expected to be fully compatible with the XDCAM EX, which has two ExpressCard slots.
"With the SanDisk ExpressCard, professional videographers for the first time will have access to a high-speed, solid-state digital recording solution," said Wes Brewer, vice president of SanDisk's Cards and Accessories Division. "What's more, because the PCI Express interface is an open industry standard, and because of the continuing decline in the cost of flash, we expect other video equipment manufacturers to adopt this compelling new format."
ExpressCard is a standard created by the Personal Computer Memory Card International Association (PCMCIA) as a successor to the PC Card standard. By connecting directly to a computer's PCI Express bus, ExpressCards can read and write data at least 2.5 times faster than PC Cards. Also, ExpressCards are half the size of PC Cards - allowing slimmer designs in notebook computers and ExpressCard-based camcorders.
Solid-state recording using flash memory is widely viewed as the future of video. Camcorders become lighter, more durable and gain battery life without the many moving parts required for turning tape reels or disc spindles. Digital video can also be quickly transferred into computers for processing with non-linear editing (NLE) applications.
Tanya Chuang, director of worldwide retail product marketing for the high performance imaging market at SanDisk, said: "The SanDisk ExpressCard has been designed for super-fast downloads of large video files and is ideally suited to editing in the field. Video can be quickly off-loaded to a notebook computer, with no extra cables or readers required, so the card can go back to work in the video camera as fast as possible."
"I've been using SanDisk Extreme cards for several years in my still photography work, because their high performance reduces shot-to-shot time and accelerates the process of downloading images from card to computer," said Robert Farber, an award-winning fine-art and fashion photographer and videographer. "I'm looking forward to trying out the SanDisk ExpressCard, so I can gain the same kind of workflow advantage when I'm shooting video."
Expected Pricing and Availability
The SanDisk ExpressCard is expected to be available in November in North America and Europe, in two capacities: 8GB, with a manufacturer's suggested retail price of $499.99 in the United States; and 16GB, with a U.S. MSRP of $899.99.
SanDisk is the original inventor of flash storage cards and is the world's largest supplier of flash data storage card products, using its patented, high-density flash memory and controller technology. SanDisk is headquartered in Milpitas, California, and has operations worldwide, with more than half its sales outside the U.S.
1 1 gigabyte (GB) = 1 billion bytes.
2 Approximation based on MPEG-2 Long GOP video compression at 35 megabits per second.
SanDisk's web site/home page address: http://www.sandisk.com
SanDisk's product and executive images can be downloaded from http://www.sandisk.com/corporate/mediakit/
SanDisk and the SanDisk logo are trademarks of SanDisk Corporation, registered in the U.S. and other countries. SanDisk Express is a trademark of SanDisk Corporation. ExpressCard is a trademark of the PCMCIA. Other brand names mentioned herein are for identification purposes only and may be trademarks of their respective holder(s).
This press release contains certain forward-looking statements, including expectations for new product introductions, specifications, applications, markets, pricing, customer acceptance and customers that are based on our current expectations and involve numerous risks and uncertainties that may cause these forward-looking statements to be inaccurate. Risks that may cause these forward-looking statements to be inaccurate include among others: market demand for our products may grow more slowly than our expectations, there may be a slower adoption rate for these products in new markets that we are targeting, our products may not perform as expected or be available when or at the prices expected and the other risks detailed from time-to-time under the caption "Risk Factors" and elsewhere in our Securities and Exchange Commission filings and reports, including, but not limited to, our Form 10-K and our quarterly reports on Form 10-Q. We do not intend to update the information contained in this press release.
|SanDisk Corporation
|Mike Langberg
|(408) 801-7358


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Home>Products>Gold Foil Glass Mix Resin Mosaic Tile>IMARK Gold & Silver & Gray Gold Back Foil Glass Mosaic Tile For Homedepot IXGR8-011
|Place of Origin:
|Guangdong, China
|Brand Name:
|Model Number:
|Color Family:
1, Nylon mesh on back
2, Individual packing for each sheet
3, Protecting film between two sheets
4, corrugated box/Gift box outside
5, Plywood pallets
Basic Information
IMARK High Quality Resin Mosaic Mix Crystal Glass Mosaic Tiles For Kitchen/Bath/Wall Decoration (IXGR8-011)
Item Code:
Square Shape
Crystal Glass Mix Resin Mosaic Tile
Chip Size:
Sheet Size:
Crystal Glass Mix Resin Mosaic Tile
Polished Mix Matt Finished
Water Permeability
Uniform appearance
Shape Optional
Round, Oval, Square, Rectangle, ect
Standard Packing
1, Nylon mesh on back
2, Individual packing for each sheet
3, Protecting film between two sheets
4, corrugated box/Gift box outside
5, Plywood pallets
Carton Size
Pallet Size
Gross Weight
1.5kgs per sheet; 16.5kgs per carton
11 sheets/carton
63 Cartons/Pallet
Delivery Time
10-25 days after deposit
1, suitable for indoor and outdoor walls, swimming pools and so on
2, high temperature resistance
3, sticked very firmly and avoid the piece go off
4, washable and durable
5, dust-proof and the color never fade
6, all products can be customized upon your request
7,Interior decoration; Kitchen backsplash; Bathroom wall panel; Living room backsplash; Studio wall and store wall ; KTV wall decoration; background wall etc.
8, all products can be customized upon your request
The images shown are actual photographs of the tiles; however, colors may vary due to the calibration of each individual monitor. Ordering samples of the tiles to verify color is strongly recommended.
WHY CHOOSE US / Outdoor Mosaic Resin Mix Crystal Glass Mosaic Tiles
1, Direct factory supply and strong production capacity
2, Strong design team; more than 30 new mosaic types every month
3, Tile types:walls,floors,borders,swimming pool
4, Colors:more than 1000 standard colors
5, Thickness Option: 4mm, 6mm, 8mm, 10mm • Chip Size:square,strip, diamond, subway, irregular etc.
Foshan Imark Building Materials Co., Ltd. is a professional manufacturer which specialized in mosaic tiles manufacture and research, marketing.
Our full production process from design to pack is completed in-house under strict quality control. It has gained us excellent reputation in the global market.
With our dedicated staff, advanced production facilities and efficient management gives us strong support to ensure high quality and competitive price to our customers, and prompt delivery is also guaranteed. IMARK was devoted and determined to offer best mosaic products to our customer with excellent service.
Our products are well accepted in American, Canada, European, Mid-East, Africa and Asia markets.
Presently, we are sincerely looking forward to cooperating with overseas customers based on mutual benefits. Please feel free to contact us for more details.
1. Do you have a minimum order quantity?
No. we don't have the request about the minimum purchased quantity. Our production line is the non-stop production every day. Please don't hesitate to contact us.
2. Do you have dealers in my areas?
IMARK is a major Chinese OEM mosaic tiles supplier serving customers all over the world. There is possible importers in the place, please don't hesitate to write mail to us.
3. What is your return policy?
Order cannot be cancelled or returned unless the quality problems.
4. How your product quality and what is your quality assurance policy?
IMARK produces mosaic tiles that are manufactured strictly in compliance with the quality standards in the industry. In the words, we keep the top quality level in the mosaic tiles industry. Please feel free to ask for samples or visit our factory to check our quality and capacity.
5. How long can my order be finished and how soon can I get my ordered products?
Normally one container order needs 15-30 days.
Transportation duration information:
West European main port: 27 days
Felixstowe / Belfast / South Ampton: 40 days
Dublin: 35 days
Western coast of America: about 18 days
Eastern coast of America: about 30 days
6. Are you sure the packing will be excellent? If damage happens during the transportation who will be responsible for that?
Yes, we are sure that our packing is safe enough. We use strong wooden crates and metal strips for outside packing.
Inside, we use plastic film to protect the products. In addition, we will buy "all risks" insurance as per your requirement.
In the case of damage happens, firstly you can contact the insurance company to claim the damage. If the damage occurred due to the fault of packing, our company will be responsibility.
7. What is the shipping methods of samples
Our samples are usually shipped by 5 international courier companies, which are respectively the FedEx, DHL, UPS, TNT & Aramex. If you already have an account with one of above companies, you may ask them to arrange a pick up at our office. Or you can let us know your account number, then we will arrange shipment for you.
8. Can you please send me a sample and is it free of charge sample?
Yes, we would love to send you samples. Our company offers samples in free of charged if you need large numbers of samples to distribute to your dealers or customers. However, we don't provide free shipping. The international shipping cost will be borne by your side.
9. What is your acceptable payment?
a. T/T 30% in advance. The balance 70% after inspection before shipment.
b. T/T 30% in advance. The balance 70% by L/C at sight.
10. Can I turn the photo from internet into mosaic?
Yes, IMARK offers professional design team & software, in addition, we can provide the construction drawing for your reference.
11. Can I mix the color on my own?
Yes, we can send our current color chart for your reference, and you may choose the colors and IMARK would make the sample for your final confirm.
|Gold Foil Glass Mix Resin Mosaic Tile
|Stone & Glass Mix Mosaic
|Scissors Mosaic Mural
|Marble/Stone Mosaic
|Goldstar Mosaic Tile
|3D Print Hexgonal Glass Mosaic
|Glass Mix Ceramic Mosaic Tile
|Crystal Glass Mosaic
|Ceramic Mosaic Tile
|AXIS Z Ceramic Mosaic Tile
|Arabesque Vault Lantern Ceramic Mosaic
|Arabesque Style Mosaic


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BBC National Orchestra of Wales goes to China
A blog from the East
In between the end of the Cardiff season and the first of the Orchestra's 2012 Proms, the BBC National Orchestra of Wales embarked upon a two week tour of China as part of the UK Now festival.
The tour included concerts in Tianjin, Beijing, Shanghai, Shenzhen, and Guangzhou and was to be our final tour with outgoing principal conductor, Thierry Fisher, whose tenure finishes at the end of August. We took several programmes of musical highlights, and our concerto soloists for the tour were our own principal horn and principal clarinet, Tim Thorpe and Rob Plane, whose performances went down a treat with the audiences.
In the East, audiences are not yet confined by our seemingly endless rules of etiquette concerning concert attendance and conduct. On each occasion, the opening of the 'Infernal Danc'e from Stravinsky's The Firebird would elicit audible oohs from the audience, with the exhilarating ending compelling audience members to begin their applause and call out almost before it had finished. The reaction to Prokofiev's Classical Symphony was no less restrained; this was particularly gratifying as this is a difficult play for all involved! Our brass did us proud in Musorgsky's Pictures at an Exhibition, and guest principal flute, Michael Cox, provided exquisite solos in Fauré's Pavane and Debussy's Prélude a l'après-midi d'un faune. Ravel's Bolero was another firm audience favourite – this may be the only time in my career I get to hear an audience clap along with Bolero (not to mention singing along!).
Perhaps the most touching aspect of the concerts was the audience reaction to our second encore, a traditional Chinese song, 'My Motherland', orchestrated by Qigang Chen, with whom we worked during this year's Vale of Glamorgan Festival. Within the first few bars, the audience would be applauding and cheering and by the end they'd be on their feet.
We can be so precious about classical music and the sacred reverence of the concert hall that I feel at times we stop ourselves from being carried away with the experience. It was humbling and refreshing to engage with an audience for whom these experiences are still novel; an audience not wrapped up in the do's and don't's we often kowtow to.
Touring can have many challenging and negative aspects. You leave family at home, adjust to a different climate, different food, and a different culture while combatting tiredness, cabin fever, and in my case, a multitude of mosquito bites. However, it also gives you the opportunity to bond with your colleagues in a way that is not always possible at home. Our viola section still giggles over the infamous 'Calamari Incident' of the 2009 Spanish tour (too rude to retell here!), and among my own group of friends, some of our best memories are from being tour. It is a great honour to be able to work in an industry that allows you to share your passion while seeing the world.
Laura Sinnerton is a viola player for the BBC National Orchestra of Wales, and she writes a blog for the BBC's Wales Music blog. Photography is by the orchestra's percussionist Chris Stock.
- Article Type: | Blog |


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Table Talk: A season for giving
When I think of the holidays, I think of lots of relatives gathered around the dinner table, enjoying the company, the occasion, and an indulgent meal. It's a time when normal food rules are suspended, the dieters, fitness freaks and food-obsessed alike using the occasion to try some of everything. (Why, yes, I'll have some of Grandma's cookies, but not without a side of Uncle Morgan's pumpkin pie…)Plus, as an added perk, I get to stop obsessing about how much each serving is costing me or how many meals I'll get out of whatever I'm making and just enjoy the food.But this year more than ever, many families won't have that luxury. In these tough economic times, sometimes it's hard not to think about how much a holiday meal costs. People in Vermont are feeling that pinch — John Sayles, the CEO of Vermont Foodbank, said in a recent interview with VPR that his organization has seen double the amount of demand from its partner food shelves this year compared to this time last year.And it's not just Vermont. Several weeks ago USA Today reported that food shelves across the country were already bracing for record demand this holiday season. It's not a brand-new trend — according to statistics from the Bread for the World Institute's Hunger Report, the percentage of U.S. households without food security (defined as the ability to provide safe, nutritious food) rose from 11.1 percent to 14.6 percent between 2007 and 2008. That's more than 44 million people who don't always have access to the food they need, or one in six Americans.But according to a Chronicle of Philanthropy report, while there have been significant declines in most philanthropy, Feeding America has seen an increase in food donations in recent years. Indeed, the food bank network expects to collect up to 25% more in donations this year. And though food shelves nationwide are still struggling to find food for everyone who needs it, it's heartening to know that people are thinking of those who can't afford to buy food this holiday season.Food is a basic human need, but it serves so many other purposes. It brings families together over the dinner table, and it creates a comforting routine, giving us something to look forward to, even when winter is at its bleakest cold. So before you sit down to a holiday meal (or meals) in the next couple of weeks, take a moment to appreciate what you have. And maybe give a couple cans, a box of cereal or a cash donation to your local food shelf. It'll be a tangible improvement in someone's holiday.


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A former Microsoft executive who worked closely with (suddenly) former Windows boss Steven Sinofsky, says Sinofsky is a big reason why talented people quit Microsoft.
Until he quit the company Monday - at his own behest or the company's, it is not clear - Sinofsky was often described as Microsoft's CEO-in-waiting, the man who saved Office and Windows.
But countless reports have described him as an executive who, for all his talents, was very difficult to work with.
These assertions have been common, but rarely backed up with anecdotes or specific examples.
Our source, a former Microsoft executive who spent years working with Sinofsky and candidly does not like him, gave us one such specific example.
It's a story about how Sinofsky's work style drove Ray Ozzie out of Microsoft.
Ray Ozzie is best known for creating Lotus Notes. After that, he founded a software company called Groove Networks, which was valued at $250 million in 2001. In 2005, Microsoft bought Groove Networks for one big reason: to get Ozzie on board.
The company made Ozzie Microsoft's CTO and chief software architect, a role previously held by Bill Gates.
Indeed, inside and outside of Microsoft, Ray Ozzie was considered to be the successor to Gates as the big brain behind Microsoft.
But then, five short years later, Ozzie quit.
Our source says blame Sinofsky.
Sinofsky was a hardy political in-fighter says this source. Though not a "brash" one - "He's passive aggressive. He's more political and oblique."
He did one thing in particular that drove Ozzie nuts.
"Ray produced some products that you could think of as cloud-based fabric products. The plan was that Ray would hand them over to Sinofsky's team and Sinofsky's team would ship them. [But] when those products made it into Steve's team, Steve effectively killed them. 'You know. We're just not going to ship them.' If it was something that Steve didn't think worked he'd just not ship them and they'd die. There'd be no discussion about it. He'd just kind of passively aggressively do it. Take the product and kill it."
Eventually, says our source, this pattern was enough to drive Ozzie out of the company.
Here's another, more recent example of Sinosfky's alienating behavior.
RELATED: SINOFSKY'S FINAL MEMO: I Wasn't Fired. I Quit. And I'm Ready To Compete With Microsoft// OO.ready(function() { OO.Player.create('ooyalaplayer', '95NHR2NjqFYOrRHcazGoKhgbLT-Gbik5'); }); //
Get the latest Microsoft stock price here.


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Microsoft's Botnet Takedowns Disrupt Zeus Operations
Microsoft's cyber-investigators notched up another victory against cyber-criminals over the weekend, shutting down two botnets powered by the Zeus banking Trojan.
Microsoft's Digital Crimes Unit coordinated with several financial services organizations and the United States Marshals to seize command and control servers suspected of controlling computers infected with the Zeus family of malware, Microsoft said late Mar. 25. Microsoft estimated that the perpetrators behind these botnets stole more than $100 million.
The Zeus banking Trojan intercepted user credentials for online banking accounts with a keylogger and transferred money out of victims' bank accounts. The malware was sophisticated enough to display a fake page showing the normal account balance instead of the actual amount, which meant victims weren't aware of the thefts immediately. Zeus crimeware kits are available on underground forums for anywhere between $700 and $15,000. There's even an "open source" version of the toolkit which is available for free.
"Cybercriminals have built hundreds of botnets using variants of Zeus malware," Richard Boscovich, a senior attorney with Microsoft's Digital Crimes Unit, wrote on the Official Microsoft Blog.
Law enforcement seized servers in raids in Scranton, Pa. and Lombard, Ill., on Mar. 23 and named 39 "John Does" in court documents as the perpetrators behind the botnets. The unnamed individuals had online handles such as MaDaGaSka, virus_e_2003, and h4x0rdz. The defendants are accused of violating the Computer Fraud and Abuse Act, CAN-SPAM Act, Electronic Communications Privacy Act, and Racketeer Influenced and Corrupt Organizations Act.
Microsoft claimed one of the defenders, who go by Harderman and Gribodemon, created the Zeus variant SpyEye. Researchers speculated early last year that developers had stopped work on Zeus and merged with SpyEye, which had several advanced features. Another individual, using names such as zebra 7753, lexz_mef, gss, and iceIX, created Ice-IX. John Doe 1, aka Slavik, Monstr, IOO and Nu11, is named as the creator of the original Zeus, according to the court papers. Other defendants are accused to developing other parts of the malware, recruiting money mules, or actually transporting the money.
Microsoft also took control of 800 domains to intercept Internet traffic as infected computers phoned home to receive instructions from the now-offline C&C servers.
Too Soon to Celebrate?
Microsoft has claimed victory over major botnets over the past few months, including Waledac, Rusctock and Kelihos. Recent studies showed the botnets were essentially still offline, with no new infections or signs that the criminals have regained control of the infected zombies.
However, it is too soon to see any impact from the Zeus raids. Graham Cluley, a senior technology consultant at Sophos, said he has not seen any change in Zeus activity worldwide.
"So far, SophosLabs hasn't seen any evidence of significant disruption to Zeus's activities through Microsoft's action," Cluley wrote on the NakedSecurity blog. This takedown would not affect other Zeus botnets currently in operation, but it's still a good idea to get some of the cyber-crooks off the street, he said.
"I'm just glad that they are actively pursuing those responsible for organized cybercrime, and trying to make the internet safer," he wrote.
Microsoft acknowledged that the team didn't expect a permanent shutdown of Zeus. "Our goal was a strategic disruption of operations to mitigate the threat in order to cause long-term damage to the cyber-criminal organization," the company said.
Considering that Microsoft estimates there are 13 million computers infected with Zeus and its variants worldwide, of which 3 million are in the United States, disrupting criminal operations sounds like a very good idea.


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I will be down for some glow. Anyone else? Might be able to scrape up a few playas. Maybe if we could get a few early commitments, Tom would let us play in with the regular ace fund??? Or if not we could come up with something festive like champagne and wear your go-out clothes
Why not have glow triples.....right Slant? :P
.....any other requests? ::)


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Create an Account - Increase your productivity, customize your experience, and engage in information you care about.
Learn about the members of the Parks and Recreation Commission, or find meeting times.
The Planning Commission holds public hearings on proposed development plans, conditional use permits, subdivision maps and other land use matters, as well as proposed changes to the Land Use Code, Zoning Map, and the General Plan.
The primary function of the Senior Citizen's Advisory Committee is to serve as an advocate for Healdsburg's senior citizens.
Get to know the members of the Transportation Advisory Commission, or download agendas and minutes.


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This beloved series will kick off on Thursday, April 20th and continue through August 17th. Now in its tenth season, the Thursday evening series is popular with event-goers from around North Carolina, with over 125,000 guests coming to hear the tunes over the course of its 17-week season. The series offers the best of Beach Music on warm summer nights and features Shag dancing, a time-honored tradition in the South. One of the few local free concerts available to the public, this event is perfect for those looking for a fun night out! Music will be provided by The Embers featuring Craig Woolard.
Here is what's coming up...
Back to All Events
Earlier Event: August 16Raleigh Downtown Farmers Market
Later Event: August 17Wine Walk for Charity at Lafayette Village


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How do I update my africanlove.com profile?
To update your profile, begin by logging into your profile and clicking My Profile at the top right of the page.
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Student or Learner
In an English -chinese dictionary I read the three :"Thus began an intricate minuet between us and the Chinese. Thus far may you go and no father."
Can we say: 1.Thus do we study today.2.Thus far may go you/the student.
Thank you , teachers!
You may say that, and it sounds really cool, but archaic.


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If you advise high-net-worth clients, you should take note of your calendar. We are at the midpoint of 2011, and 2012 will be here before you know it. Have you discussed the unprecedented wealth transfer opportunities now available to your clients? If not, you should make it a priority for your practice because change, once again, is coming.
The Tax Relief Act of 2010 provided individual taxpayers with, among other things, the ability to gift $5 million free of gift tax. But the provisions in the Act are due to expire on the last day of 2012. It is unclear whether any provision will be extended into 2013 and beyond, so it is important to take advantage of the generous exemption while we are certain of its availability.
The $5 million lifetime gift tax exemption represents a 400% increase over the 2009 exemption of $1 million. Still, many high-net-worth clients continue to seek strategies to leverage the exemption in order to pass along the greatest amount of wealth for the smallest cost. Although several "estate-freeze" strategies can be implemented to maximize the exemption, one strategy in particular deserves consideration for your wealthiest clients: a sale to a defective trust.
The IDGT Strategy's Components
A sale to an intentionally defective grantor trust (IDGT) is a strategy with two primary components. The first component is the IDGT. An IDGT is termed "defective" because, although a transfer of property to the trust is considered complete for gift and estate tax purposes, the grantor is still deemed the owner of the property for income tax purposes. Consequently, he or she is responsible for any income tax liability associated with trust assets.
Payment of income tax liability by the grantor allows the trust to grow without the drag of taxes against the trust corpus. In addition, by paying those taxes, the grantor further reduces his or her taxable estate. In short, he or she creates a trust for the benefit of heirs that will grow essentially without tax liability and that is essentially a tax-free gift.
Another significant benefit of the IDGT's grantor trust status is evident in the second component of this strategy, the installment sale. A sale by the grantor to a grantor trust is not a recognition event for income tax purposes because the trust is deemed to be the "alter ego" of the grantor; therefore, it is as if the grantor were making a sale to him- or herself. The nonrecognition of income upon the sale is a primary factor in the ultimate success of a sale to an IDGT.
How to Implement the Strategy
Once the IDGT is drafted, the grantor must transfer assets to "seed" the trust. The initial funding of the trust is required
to ensure that the trust has economic substance and that the assets sold to
the trust are not the sole source for repaying the debt associated with the installment sale.
Although there is no specific guidance on the issue, many practitioners believe that a minimum funding of 10% of the fair market value of the asset to be sold is required. As such, before execution of a $50 million sale, the trust, upon creation, would have had to be funded with at least $5 million.
The "seed" funding of the IDGT is a taxable gift. The grantor can use all or a portion of the applicable exclusion amount for lifetime gifts to absorb the gift tax liability otherwise associated with the trust funding. If grandchildren are named as beneficiaries, the grantor can also allocate an equivalent amount of his or her generation-skipping transfer (i.e., GST) exemption to the trust.
With the IDGT sufficiently funded, the grantor will sell assets to the trust and receive an installment note as consideration for the sale. The term of the installment note may vary, but, in order to avoid any further gift tax liability, the interest rate charged on the note must have a minimal rate equal to the specific Applicable Federal Rate (AFR) based upon the term of the loan.
Once the sale is executed, the assets subject to the sale are removed from the grantor's estate. The trust must then make debt service payments to the grantor under the terms of the installment note. Once again, the grantor status of the IDGT highlights a significant planning benefit. First, the sale between a grantor and a grantor trust does not result in the recognition of gain. In addition, the installment payments, including the interest component, from the trust to the grantor do not result in income tax to the grantor.
For this strategy to be most effective, the assets sold to the trust must grow at a rate of return that is greater than the AFR that determines the interest paid back to the grantor. In basic terms, if the rate on the note is 4% but the trust assets appreciate at 10%, the appreciation above 4% is effectively removed from the estate. To optimize the strategy, the sale should include assets with the greatest chance of rapid appreciation, such as private business interests and pre-IPO stock.
Given the increase in the lifetime gift tax exemption and the uncertainty of future tax law, an installment sale to an IDGT could be an excellent way to maximize the current opportunity available.
This material has been provided for general informational purposes only and does not constitute either tax or legal advice. Investors should consult a tax preparer, professional tax advisor, and/or a lawyer.


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These totems are part of a national park, we stopped at on our way south to the Volcano.
We hiked out to see the petroglyphs near Kona
We didn't see the biggest crater at the volcano because it was closed due to hazardous gasses, but this one was pretty close and ENORMOUS, I can't even imagine what the other one would be like. It looks like the land before time haha.


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I've been Honda's biggest fan since high school. My first car, a gunmetal gray 1985 Accord, was solid, reliable, comfortable and could escort me and seven of my closest friends to and from school in relative ease. (Stacking eight people into a 5-seat sedan is another reason 16-year-olds shouldn't have all-access driver's licenses. Bad idea.)
In the last couple years I've watched, along with other Honda fans, the cars grow heavier, bigger, uglier and less competitive than other sedans. I test-drove an Accord the last time I was in the market for a family car, but found it too big and too expensive for my needs. If my high-school Accord was that cavernous, I probably could've fit my seven friends inside with much less drama.
Considering some of the competition out there, including the Hyundai Sonata, Toyota Camry, Kia Optima and Ford Fusion, it's not surprising that Honda has acknowledged its slide and labeled recent Accord sales unsatisfactory.
In the United States, Honda sold just 26,771 Accords last month, down from 31,533 vehicles a year ago.
"We are not satisfied with that," American Honda President and Chief Executive Tetsuo Iwamura told Automotive News. The drop in sales has translated to a decrease in Honda's share of the U.S. light-vehicle sales market, from 10.1 percent to 9.2 percent.
Honda is expected to debut a new Accord later this year, but it had better be good, because the competition is only getting better.
Take, for instance, the next Mazda6.
The 2014 Mazda6 will have Mazda's SkyActiv 2.0-liter gas engine, which boosts fuel efficiency by around 30 percent. Plus, it'll look something like the Takeri concept, pictured here. The new Mazda6 will debut at this year's Paris Auto Show and go on sale in early 2013.
If it's priced the same as or below the Accord, this'll be another on the list of cars that threaten to chip away at Honda's market share.
Personally, I would love to see Honda follow the retro trend and design a future Accord as a throwback to the classic '84 style. Smaller, lighter, maybe a turbo-charged option and that oh-so-cool gunmetal gray.
What would Honda have to do to beat the Accord's competition?
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The SCES dance team partcipated at the Kentucky State Fair dance competition through NDA on August 23 in the youth Hip Hop division. The girls received first place and a bid to NDA nationals.
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$20,000 Sign On Bonus!ER Veterinarian - Regional Veterinary Emergency and Specialty Center is currently looking for an Emergency Veterinarian. We have a great opportunity in our beautiful and well equipped practice to work with our fun and dedicated team in Turnersville, New Jersey (Just 25 minutes from Philly!) We are also located just one hour away from the beach. The area is a wonderful place to live and work!Regional is a combination of the well-established compassionate care that our community of pet parents depends on and the trusted resource for high quality emergency and specialty care that the area's top veterinarians rely upon for their own patients.RegionalVet is home to the area's top veterinary professionals. Our Emergency and Critical Care team provide the latest leading-edge treatments and technologies.
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Another School Year ... Another Decision
6 days ago
My life is like Neapolitan ice cream. Vanilla is my must do stuff such as going to work, going to school, etc. Can get boring, but I need it to make my life complete. Strawberry ice cream is everything that goes along with the vanilla. And Chocolate is all my favorite things about life. Shopping, photography, having fun and I always need just a little more chocolate then vanilla or strawberry. I always eat my Neapolitan ice cream with a little extra chocolate.
Posted by StephthefutrRxDr at 11:58 AM


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10 July 2019
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Rocío Bermúdez, tax global practices & transfer pricing senior manager at Repsol, spoke to ITR about her company's participation in the first pilot of the International Compliance Assurance Programme.
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During Randy Pitchford's introduction of Duke Nukem Forever at PAX the Gearbox boss spoke effusively about their enthusiasm over participating in the game's development and fulfilling all the goals for it. He says DNF is currently in the polishing phase, but a glitch in the streaming audio made it difficult to make out if he said it was due this year or next year. There is an interview with Randy on WSJ.com that repeats the polishing comment, and does nothing to clarify the release date, saying both "Gearbox hopes to release the game next year" and "The game is currently expected to ship in 2010." A later interview with Steve Gibson seems to clarify this, as he says they are very excited to ship the game next year. The WSJ also quotes Pitchford saying an announcement regarding the future of the Duke IP will be made on Sunday at Gearbox's PAX panel.
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Travel, at its core, is opening your heart to possibility.
It is not an adventure of extravagance or wealth. It is an adventure of constraints and character. This book, by design, is a manual for modern travel.
Airfare is the cheapest it has ever been and perhaps ever will be. You can get on a flight around the world for as low as $14.31 per hour of travel time (NYC->JNB, $780 for 54.5 hours of travel). A mortgage payment could cover most travel costs, but most Americans (and world citizens for that matter) think travel is for the elite. It is an odd, but beautiful time to be on the road.
My trip:
The book is in three parts:
Part 1) Essays from Experiences
Part 2) Travel Tips and Tricks
Park 3) Interviews With Travelers (with itineraries, budgets and stories)
It runs about 30,000 words right now. The goal is to get you to think a little bit differently about this world we share.
This is a collection of essays and experiences from months of living on the road with only a backpack to my name. At times this is a difficult. Other times it is a mental escape. It was written on the road - from a hut in the a guest lodge in the high Himalayas to a beach hotel the Caribbean Sea to a Colorado Dude Ranch.
Travel is deeply personal. I can't stress this enough. Your experience, by design, will be drastically different than mine, or anyone else. Your lessons, activities, destinations and goals, are going to be drastically different, but hopefully this book will help give you a clear direction of what you can do if you set a goal of travel.
I need help with this book! Please preorder a copy today and you will help make this project a reality.
Observationally, A Bluff in Vegas
I love high-rise buildings. It feels like you see the sun rise earlier. The higher the story, the more grounded I feel with the experience of being in a space only proper engineering can take me.
I wandered down early, as I usually do while traveling, to, well, just wander. My life on the road is devoid of advertising. No ad can take you places you want to go. Is that good enough to be in an ad?
I've spent 14 months traveling around the world. My early morning walks are some of my favorite memories. A beach in Thailand. A village in Nepal. A shopping center in Colombia. A fish market in Tokyo.
Las Vegas at 4:30 this morning provided one of the more interesting walks. They still deal cards at that hour, somehow, with a mix of drunks, addicts and people looking to experience something different from what they have programmed their lives to be. Buck the norm. A smoke-filled room smelling of Red Bull and perfume was refreshing, oddly. It feels like a train wreck made for sport. The lights sparked outside, waiting for the sun to rise on a desert town known for making your designed experience feel independent and fresh. In one direction, the strip – an amazing pollution of light and faux dreams. The other direction lies an economically depressed sprawl of housing purchased by those that enable the hopes in the distance.
The commonality of a dream warms the soul. "What can we do together?" is the battle cry of humanity. Indifference kills that. Economic inequality feeds that.
Mush that all up, put it in your high-tech blender, and you get the craps table at an off-strip casino pre-sunrise on a Wednesday.
Whatever your observations, let's gamble together.
This wasn't the high life we were promised. This, in all the dream-like states, isn't really connecting with life. This is a dream cycling on an unexpected turn, rather than something you work toward. For some, it is cycling out of control. The ATM isn't working. So are the four others that an elderly woman has tried.
It can't be the lack of funding. The machine is broken.
I share a moment with this lady. We both look down on each other and are content. What am I doing there, after all? I was there, and she saw me there, looking at her. Judging. Experiencing. Not helping. I was a solo kid not participating in the environment I shared. A passerby. A kid without a dream or team. As drunk and broke as she was, she had a goal. She had a purpose and someone to share that with, which is far from failure. To her.
I have plenty of money in the bank, a beautiful place to stay and an extended friend network eclipsing what I thought was possible growing up. This lady sized up my observations of her and spat them back at me. She had gambled at many things that put us in that space together and called out my bluff. I'm not there to see, I'm part of the cycle. Once achieved, the dreams of the past seem childish. What we work on, together, is what the books remember. The achievement of a stable and modern society is a processed food, the gamification of the observer's life.
It can't be the lack of dreaming. This machine is broken.
Funding period
- (30 days)


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Don't get stranded or stuck again. You definitely don't want your wife stranded...or worse your neighbor jump starting your wife. We have the largest selection of portable jump starter packs. Now-a-days they're built so small they'll fit in any compartment in your car. We even have the old-school, tried and true standard jumper boxes. Give them a break, they still have their place in the jump starting world. Even though they may be the original style they've come along way. They've been packed with some sweet features like a built in power inverter or built in air compressor and some serious cranking power.
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PALM BEACH GARDENS, Fla. -- When Ashleigh Anderson looks back on her PGA Minority Collegiate Golf Championship experience, it brings a smile to her face.
Anderson, a member of the Florida State University women's golf team from 2004-08, competed in the Women's Independent Division in both the 2007 and 2008 Championships. She competed alongside fellow Seminole and two-time champion Sara Young, and the two traveled together each year to the Championship.
To return to the home page of the PGA Minority Collegiate Golf Championship, click here.
"It was such a great experience for me and my teammate Sara and she played so well," said Anderson. "It was a great bonus that we were able to spend some quality time together and play in a wonderful tournament at the same time."
Anderson, who spent part of her childhood in Orlando, Fla., and the Orlando Minority Youth Golf Association, is also excited to see how much the Championship itself has grown.
"I think it's nice to see how the tournament has grown, but it's also nice to see how much the Career Expo has grown as well," said Anderson. "I think it's important for players to see that they can work in the golf industry and not just play professionally."
For the 18th consecutive year, the Championship will include a Business of Golf Career Expo, featuring golf industry associations and companies that enable student-athletes to learn about additional employment opportunities in manufacturing, media, trade, golf course management and the game's premier governing bodies. Student-athletes will have the opportunity to present résumés for internships and employment.
For the past three years, Anderson has been working at the LPGA, where she coordinates tournaments and member programs. She will also participate in a panel discussion at the 2012 Championship, where a group of industry professionals will discuss growing the game.
"It's been a pleasure to work at the LPGA and I really love what I do," said Anderson. "I am a product of junior golf and working at the LPGA has helped me to continue to grow the game among juniors and women."
The 2012 edition of the Championship, from May 11-13, will feature more than 180 participants from over 40 colleges and universities will make up the field for the National Championship, contested on the Tom Fazio-designed Ryder and Wanamaker Courses.
The 54-hole, stroke-play event will consist of three team divisions, NCAA Men's Division I and II, and a Women's Division.
In addition to the team competition, the Championship features a men's and women's Individual Invitational that is open to collegiate golfers who are African-American, Hispanic-American, Native or Alaskan American, Asian or Pacific Island American.
About The PGA Minority Collegiate Golf Championship
The PGA Minority Collegiate Golf Championship presented by Brown Capital Management originated from a meeting in November 1986 following the Jackson State University Golf Tournament. The meeting resulted in a group of founders: the late Dr. Herschel Cochrane, Dr. Joe D. Saunders of the National Negro Golf Association; Jackson State University Golf Coach Eddie Payton; Rose Harper-Elder of the Sports Management Institute; and William (Bill) Dickey, founder of the Bill Dickey Scholarship Association and recipient of the 1999 PGA Distinguished Service Award.
The founders' goal was to elevate the game of golf in minority colleges and universities by giving each a chance to compete in a championship after being denied opportunities to compete in NCAA Collegiate golf events. The inaugural Championship was conducted in the spring of 1987 at Highland Park Golf Course in Cleveland, Ohio. Since 1998, PGA Golf Club in Port St. Lucie, Fla., has been host to the Championship, and in 2006, The PGA of America was granted complete ownership and management of the Championship by the National Minority College Golf Scholarship Fund.


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ORANGE, Carlos Gamez: While I agree with parts of your editorial, "Legacy for Sandy Hook" [Opinion, April 1], I disagree with the point made on "easing the standards for involuntary commitment for the truly dangerous." This is just as dangerous as banning certain weapons outright as it gives more power to the group responsible for these mass murders. A group that is at the core of the issue and that continues to act with impunity – the psychiatric community.
|WASHINGTON, DC – APRIL 02: Former U.S. Rep. Asa Hutchinson announces the recommendations of the NRA backed National School Shield Program regarding school security during a press conference April 2, 2013 at the National Press Club in Washington, DC. Among other findings, the report recommended training and placing armed personnel in public schools following the Sandy Hook Elementary School shooting. (Photo by Win McNamee, Getty Images)
There have been mentally ill people since time immemorial and there have been guns and automatic weapons for many decades. But the new factor is the proliferation of extremely dangerous psychotropic drugs that push the mentally weak into full-blown psychotic breaks ending with bloodbaths.
The psychiatrist knows as we all do, the danger of these drugs and they know as well the undeniable connection between mass shootings and these psychotropic killers, yet these drugs are poured into our society by the truckload.
We cannot give psychiatry more power, we need to take power from them. They must be held accountable when prescribing killer drugs to those suffering from mental illness, which puts them and the rest of our society in danger.
A bartender that serves too many drinks can be liable for his actions, medical doctors are liable for their mistakes and errors, so are policeman, attorneys and government officials. Why not psychiatrists?
The psychiatrist must be held accountable.
LAKE FOREST, Clif Miller: Although the editorial writer correctly points out that Americans can use guns and violent videos without developing homicidal tendencies and that the frequency of mass shootings are committed by those so-called "mentally disturbed," let's look at the fact that at least 31 school shootings are linked with these "mentally disturbed," who are on psychiatric drugs that have side effects including aggression, mania, violence, psychosis, suicidal and homicidal ideation.
If we want true reform, don't give it to the government to regulate us further with more taxes. And having a dialogue between doctors (psychiatrists in this case) and the family is like having a criminal discuss with the family the merits of robbing them.
Why is it so difficult to find what psychiatric drugs Sandy Hook massacre shooter Adam Lanza was on and petitions to disclose his toxicology report have to be circulated? Perhaps if the public sees the connection, his doctor might be liable for prescribing such mind-altering and violence-causing drugs.
AB32 exemptions
SAN JUAN CAPISTRANO, Steven Rad: Three letters appearing criticizing Republican State Senator Mimi Walters' bill to exempt cap-and-trade (Assembly Bill 32) from the university system exhibit political naiveté ["Greenhouse-gas law gores state businesses," March 30].
There is nothing Republicans can do about Sacramento's folly until they can garner more support from the youth vote because they are outgunned by the supermajorities California's Democrats enjoy in the Senate and Assembly.
Any attempt to overturn the entire cap-and-trade bill would only solidify the liberal support for it. Sen. Walters' bill is brilliant in that it begins to erode support for environmental extremism by putting the liberal legislators between the proverbial "rock and hard place." Do they support affordable education or do they support environmental recklessness?
This could well be a first step in overturning AB32. It will be fascinating to watch how the Legislature deals with Walters' proposal.
More mortgage games
BUENA PARK, Daniel A. Thurber: Three years into the housing recovery and we are still giving away dollars from the taxpayer store ["U.S. to ease modifcations on loans by Fannie and Freddie," Business, April 1]. The Fannie Mae and Freddie Mac overseer will try a new program that does not require the borrower to show proof of income. Is this not one of those programs that got us in the mess in the first place? What? You didn't learn a lesson from the first time around that so far has cost the taxpayer over $150 billion.
Now we have this program and we all know it won't work, but I guess these programs are OK since they have the taxpayer dollars to bail them out.
You know it's time to fish or cut bait and in this case after three years cut the bait on these borrowers. Foreclose and sell the property to somebody who will make payments on a timely basis.
'Shocking' sentences
WESTMINSTER, Lloyd N. Darden: An Associated Press story carried by the Register about two young men found guilty of insider trading struck me as appalling ["San Clemente man held in insider trading case," Business, March 27].
Each of them could be sentenced to as much as 65 years, according to the news report. While insider trading is a form of large-scale theft, such a sentence is many times greater than that which is normally connected with this crime.
Even more shocking is when comparing this to sentences of a year or two for assault or rape of juvenile victims.
Immigration solutions
COSTA MESA, Brad Waite: I am 85 and have lived in Orange County 65 of those years. My problem is immigration. Our troops are coming home, and they have become second-class citizens. They don't have the money to live on, and aren't being taken care of physically. It takes years to process their requests. But if you come here illegally, all your needs are processed immediately.
So here's what we do. We make all people running for office to sign a document that says, that until all service members' needs are taken care of, there will be no funds available for those who have come here illegally. Not one dime. Then let's see how many come over the border and how many go back.
While the U.S. burns
FULLERTON, Ed Leonard: With 48 million Americans on food stamps, 23 million Americans unemployed, government-subsidized businesses failing (see Fisker Auto), a stagnant economy and $16.7 trillion in debt, our government focuses on gay marriage, gun control and "comprehensive" immigration reform.
Why can't the Washington D.C. masterminds at least pretend to improve our country – rather than to fiddle while Rome burns. Remember, as government grows, liberty shrinks.
Bogus emotional appeals
IRVINE, Mike Thomas: How often during elections do we hear the phrase, "but it is for the children"? Doesn't it seem hypocritical when those people promoting this phrase are oftentimes the same people advocating abortion?
Based upon their definition of when life begins, such persons are either immersed in hypocrisy or at least attempting to tread a fine line around it.
Who do you follow?
IRVINE, Shirley Van Patten: It is acceptable to hang the gay-pride flag outside the congressional office, beside the U.S. and California flags, but the Ten Commandments of God are not acceptable.
Is the opinion of the congressman really more important than the commandments of our Creator?