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2019 Wilderness Rangers
Zack Bumgarner
Santa Fe - West
Zack's love for nature and the outdoors began on family camping trips as a young child and grew through monthly outings with the Boy Scouts. This culminated with attending college in the mountains of western North Carolina, graduating with a degree in Geography. After years in the GIS department of local government, Zack began volunteering with wilderness stewardship groups in North Carolina, building upon his knowledge and skills; something he has continued to do since moving to New Mexico. As a Wilderness Ranger for New Mexico Wild, Zack is now using these skills to help protect Wilderness and public lands here in the Land of Enchantment.
Doug Campbell
Santa Fe - Pecos
Doug, a native Santa Fean, went on his first New Mexico backcountry adventure when he was 10 years old—an overnight backpacking trip with his father into the Pecos Wilderness. Ever since, wilderness exploration and preservation have been his life's passion, so much so that after a career in social work, he made his passion his profession. Since 2008 he has been a professional backpacking guide (for The Wildland Trekking Company) and a wilderness skills instructor (NOLS, United World College-USA, Albuquerque Academy). He has guided over 180 multi-day treks into the Grand Canyon and coordinates Wildland Trekking's conservation-focused philanthropy program. He is a life member of NM Wild, attended the Wilderness Act's 50th Anniversary Conference, and in 2014-15 conducted roadless-area inventories for NM Wild. He is a graduate of NOLS, Outward Bound Canada, and Penn State, where he earned a B.A. in history. The biggest wilderness adventure of his life was in 2018—a 24-day, 350-mile canoeing expedition down Alaska's Noatak River. Last but not least, he knows lots of funny a-guy-walked-into-a-bar jokes.
Brennan Davis
Brennan is a proud New Mexico native who grew up exploring the state with his father. From the Gila Wilderness to the vast expanses of the Chihuahuan Desert around Las Cruces, the natural beauty of New Mexico inspired a strong conservation ethic that guides Brennan to this day. He obtained a B.S. degree in Biology from UNM and began pursuing a career in natural resource conservation. Working with the BLM in Carlsbad, Brennan began his professional journey contributing to the management of sensitive wildlife species and cave environments. Since then, he has worked towards conservation projects across the state, from native seed collection to forest health monitoring in the Rio Grande watershed. Brennan is excited to bring his passion for the natural world to NM Wild, to contribute to the management of New Mexico's incredible Wilderness areas.
Becky Fitzpatrick
Santa Fe - Pecos
Becky fell in love with the landscapes and people of the southwestern United States when she studied Natural History and Ecology at Prescott College in Arizona. After attaining her bachelors degree, Becky worked as a wildlife technician on a bear nutritional study in Yellowstone National Park, a tropic cascade study in Waterton Lakes Park, and a bison management study in Montana. She then began teaching wildlife science programs to high school students in the Yellowstone area, which grew into a love of teaching and place-based outdoor education. Becky returned to the southwest and worked for a conservation corps building trail and working on invasive species projects. She currently spends her time working seasonally as an outdoor educator with Outward Bound and Prescott College. Her love for wild places began young, and has continued to grow the more time she spends mentoring and teaching students within it. She has found no better teacher.
Jesse Furr
Jesse is a lifelong lover of wilderness and the outdoors. As a community-minded Northern New Mexican, he has an interest in protecting and stewarding wildlands because of the unrivaled value they offer for wildlife, vegetation, soils, watershed health, and human enjoyment. Jesse is an artist and avid wilderness enthusiast who is excited to use his skills as a New Mexico Wild ranger to maintain and advocate for wilderness character through education and improved access in the Lincoln National Forest.
James Lautzenheiser
Santa Fe - West
Hi, I'm James! After earning a Recreation Management degree from Appalachian State University and spending six seasons filling different Wilderness stewardship roles with Southern Appalachian Wilderness Stewards, I took a side year to explore other parts of the country and fields of work. I am excited to come back to the Wilderness fold in New Mexico!
Tobias Nickel
Hailing from Germany, Tobias Nickel first discovered his love for backpacking and the American West while attending college in California. He graduated from the University of San Diego with a degree in environmental science, philosophy, and political science. Working as a guide for the university's outdoor adventure center, Tobias led trips to wilderness destinations across the Southwest. Since graduation, Tobias has worked for Grand Canyon National Park, the Bureau of Land Management, California Wolf Center, and the Catalina Island Conservancy. Tobias' experiences on public lands in the American West have profoundly impacted his life in positive and transformative ways. Having had the privilege of experiencing many wilderness areas, Tobias strives to share his love for the outdoors with others and help them discover their own land ethic. As a Wilderness Ranger on the Lincoln National Forest, Tobias is excited to support stewardship of New Mexico's wild treasures and to inspire others in the process.
Irene Owsley
Santa Fe - Pecos
Irene Owsley, who has worked as a professional photographer for more than 20 years (following a career in museums), comes to her position as a Wilderness Ranger, primarily through her specialty in outdoors and travel imagery and the stories she has covered in public lands, including several designated wildernesses and national parks. Her work has appeared in such magazines as Canoe & Kayak, Sierra, National Parks, Earthwatch, and Natural History and in the publications of several conservation organizations. Since 2011, she has been selected for five artist-in-residence programs: Bandelier National Monument, New Mexico (where she also volunteered for trail work), and four through Voices of the Wilderness in Alaska (Nellie Juan-College Fjord Wilderness Study Area, Alaska Maritime National Wildlife Refuge and two in Tracy Arm-Ford's Terror Wilderness). A panorama from the latter residency was included in an exhibition at the Smithsonian's Museum of Natural History celebrating the 50th anniversary of The Wilderness Act. She has exhibited her work in venues including the Anchorage Museum, Smithsonian's Museum of Natural History, and the National Institutes of Health. A long-time resident of Washington DC until 2014, Owsley found the "wild" in this metropolitan area by creating a body of work called "Wild Washington," capturing images of many untamed areas within a twenty mile radius of the White House. She now makes her home in Santa Fe.
Andrew Reville
Andrew grew up in Cleveland, Ohio, far from any semblance of Wilderness as a concept or reality. Still, he has valued natural places and the solitude found within them since childhood. A backpacking trip in the Dolly Sods Wilderness of West Virginia as a teen gave him his first taste of these values on a larger scale. He is grateful to be able to protect these values as they exist in the wild lands of New Mexico for a living. He is returning for his second season as a Cibola National Forest Wilderness Ranger. Previously, he has worked for the Student Conservation Association in wilderness areas of Idaho and has a Bachelor's of Science in Biology.
This summer, nine Wilderness Rangers will be afoot across wilderness areas on the Cibola, Lincoln, and Santa Fe National Forests through a public-private partnership between the Forest Service and New Mexico Wild. Ranger pairs will be working in the Sandia Mountain, Manzano Mountains, Apache Kid and Withington wilderness areas on the Cibola National Forest; the White Mountain and Capitan wilderness areas on the Lincoln National Forest; and the Chama River Canyon, San Pedro Parks, and Pecos wilderness areas on the Santa Fe National Forest.
This partnership is designed to increase stewardship in wilderness areas across northern New Mexico. Rangers will be providing a range of important services including wilderness character monitoring, trails assessment, trail clearing, campsite rehabilitation, public outreach and wilderness education. Their work provides valuable information on current wilderness conditions while enhancing public safety and contributing to positive wilderness experiences for wilderness visitors.
Volunteer engagement is an integral aspect of this partnership. Providing the public opportunities to be involved helps leverage scarce public dollars, helps address the backlog of maintenance and improvement needs and instills a sense of pride and stewardship for New Mexico's wilderness areas. Most volunteer projects will focus on monitoring visitor use (see "solitude monitoring" section below), but could also include campsite and trail rehabilitation, signage, trash clean-up and other types of monitoring efforts.
If you would like to volunteer in one of the wilderness areas listed above, please use the information below to contact the rangers working in that wilderness. And, if you see these rangers on the trail, please take a moment to say HELLO!
Do you like to hike in wilderness and want to give something back? Sign up to help the Cibola, Santa Fe and Carson National Forests conduct wilderness solitude monitoring! We are looking for avid hikers and wilderness lovers to count wilderness encounters across several wilderness areas in northern New Mexico. This fun and easy volunteer project can be done without supervision (after a ½ day of training) in pairs or as a group. This summer, monitoring will take place in the Sandia Mountain, Manzano Mountain, Apache Kid, Withington, Chama River Canyon, Columbine-Hondo, Latir Peak and Wheeler Peak Wilderness areas. Contact the individual rangers assigned to each wilderness area for more information or to sign up!
Ever wonder what a day in the life of a wilderness ranger is like? Find out by joining our rangers for a day in the field. You'll learn backcountry travel skills, wilderness data collection basics, how to make effective and positive public contacts and more all while spending a fun day with great people in a beautiful place. Contact a ranger in your area of interest to learn more and schedule a day on the trail.
San Pedro Parks Wilderness, Chama River Canyon Wilderness, Pecos Wilderness
Sandia Mountain Wilderness, Manzano Mountains Wilderness, Apache Kid Wilderness, Withington Wilderness
White Mountain Wilderness and Capitan Wilderness
2018 Wilderness Rangers
|Zack Bumgarner
Santa Fe National Forest
|David Greene
Santa Fe National Forest
|Atieno Ouma
LIncoln National Forest
|Ezra Sage
Santa Fe National Forest
|Becky Fitzpatrick
Santa Fe National Forest
|April Fuentes
Lincoln National Forest
|Rhett Spencer
Carson National Forest
|Ben Mortensen
Carson National Forest
|Will Ribbans
Cibola National Forest
|Andrew Reville
Cibola National Forest


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Collection Items
Film, VideoPanorama of Blackwell's Island, N.Y. This film was photographed from a boat heading south along the eastern shore of Blackwell's Island (known today as Roosevelt Island). The island lies in the East River, between Manhattan (which can be seen in the background) and Long Island City, Queens. It is approximately one and three-quarters of a mile long, extending from 51st Street to 88th, and at the time of the...
- Contributor: Thomas A. Edison, Inc - Paper Print Collection (Library of Congress) - Porter, Edwin S.
- Date: 1903

subset: commoncrawl


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The Rental Equipment Register (RER) has awarded Atlas Copco Special Rental's ZoneAir XATS 1020 with the 2011 Innovative Product Award in the Compressors/Air Tools category.
The RER Innovative Product Award was established in 2003 to honor excellence in new product development in the equipment rental industry. The 2011 awards showcased the most innovative products introduced between Aug. 1, 2010 and July 31, 2011. A panel of industry judges narrowed the pool of entries to one winner in each of 13 categories and our entry of Zone Air XATS 1020 won award as 2011 Innovative Product Award in the Compressed / Air Tools category.
ZoneAir XATS 1020 was introduced in our rental fleet in June 2011 and won this prestigious award for its key innovation, a containerized portable compressor featuring a 15-foot DNV container that is ATEX 94/9/EC certified for Zone 2 hazardous area operation. The Rental Equipment Register highlighted the ZoneAir XATS's safety and efficiency benefits to rental customers. The ZoneAir XATS uses the latest Zone-2 (Class 1, Div. 2) compressor technology, ensures 8 hours full-load operation due to its 800-liter fuel tank, and provides a Pyroban's 3GP gas-detection system, a proactive system designed to guarantee safe operation in hazardous areas.
This award is in recognition of our capabilities in sustainable product development and innovations. Let us continue to focus on bringing innovative products & services to market to ensure our customer's sustainable productivity."
Atlas Copco is a world-leading provider of sustainable productivity solutions. The Group serves customers with innovative compressors, vacuum solutions and air treatment systems, construction and mining equipment, power tools and assembly systems. Atlas Copco develops products and service focused on productivity, energy efficiency, safety and ergonomics. The company was founded in 1873, is based in Stockholm, Sweden, and has a global reach spanning more than 180 countries. In 2015, Atlas Copco had revenues of BSEK 102 (BEUR 11) and more than 43 000 employees.
Specialty Rental is a division within Atlas Copco's Construction Technique business area. It serves customers in the industry segments around the world with temporary air, nitrogen, steam and power rental solutions. The specialty rental services are offered under several brands. The divisional headquarters is located in Houston, USA.
Atlas Copco K.K., Japan, Specialty Rental
Sumitomo Fudosan Onarimon Tower 8F, 1-1-1 Shibakoen, Minato ku
105-0011 Tokyo
アトラスコプコ 株式会社 スペシャリティレンタル
東京都港区芝公園1-1-1 住友不動産御成門タワー8階


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For the past six weeks, I have been exploring alternatives to over-the-counter ointments, salves, and beauty products. Not only are these products expensive, but as I have learned time and time again, they don't always work.
Starting with a basic formula for healing salve that I found on the internet, I decided to make my own all-purpose salve and to test it on various ailments to see how it worked. I added a bit of this, subtracted a bit of that and came up with I call my own Miracle Healing Salve. The funny thing is that when the final results came in, the formula that worked the best as an all-purpose salve was a version included the same blend essential oils I have been using for muscle aches these past ten plus years. Go figure.
As easy as this Miracle Healing Salve is to make – and it is easy – it just works. I will share some of the uses that I have become ecstatic about but first, the recipe.
DIY Miracle Healing Salve
Miracle Healing Salve – The Recipe
1 Cup Coconut Oil (not fractionated)
1 Cup Extra Virgin Olive Oil
5 Tbl. Organic Beeswax Pastilles
8 each – 2 ounce jars or containers **OR**
4 each – 4 ounce mason jars
To each 2 ounce jar add: (double if you are using 4 ounce Mason jars)
5 drops Lavender essential oil
5 drops Rosemary essential oil
5 drops Peppermint essential oil
a few drops of Vitamin E (optional)
1. Put a pot of water on the stove to simmer. While the water is heating, put the coconut oil, olive oil and beeswax pastilles in a heatproof jar or measuring cup.
2. Set the jar filled with the coconut oil, olive oil, and wax into the water and leave it there until it melts, giving it a stir from time to time. You want a slow, gentle melt so take your time. It could take 15 or 20 minutes depending on the temperature of the water bath.
3. While the ingredients are melting, drop your essential oils into each of the containers. Hint: I have found that it is easier to use a glass medicine dropper than the dropper that comes with the bottle of essential oil. This is optional and a matter of personal preference.
4. Pour the melted oils into each of the smaller jars containing essential oils. There is no need to stir unless you want to since the oils will mix up on their own.
5. Cover the jars with a paper towel or cloth and set them aside for up to 24 hours. Although the salve will start to firm up within minutes, it takes at least 12 hours to complete the firming process. (The purpose of the cover is to keep out dust, bugs and other nasties that may be floating around.)
A Word About the Ingredients
Coconut oil is a natural moisturizer and is antibacterial. Olive oil is chock full of anti-oxidants and has anti-inflammatory properties.
Lavender is a natural antibiotic, antiviral, antifungal and antiseptic. It is a master healer that also helps to prevent scaring. Rosemary is also antiseptic and an excellent treatment for muscle aches. Peppermint is an anti-inflammatory and is also antiseptic. Are you seeing a pattern here?
The optional Vitamin E is an antioxidant and is also used as a natural preservative.
10 Ways (So Far) to Use Miracle Healing Salve
These are the ways I have used this salve with success. I am sure there are others that are yet to be discovered but these make a darn good start!
1. Hand and foot moisturizer: An unbelievably emollient hand and foot moisturizer. No more dry hands and feet.
2. Relief for nocturnal foot and muscle cramps (rub on the bottom of your feet and on your calves before going to bed – this really works!)
3. Eliminates symptoms of eczema and psoriasis: With the addition of 5 to 10 drops of Melaleuca oil (tea tree) to a jar of Miracle Salver, the patch of psoriasis on Shelly's elbow has all but disappeared. In the past he has tried everything including diet changes and prescription drugs. It has taken about 3 weeks for the Miracle Healing Salve to do its thing. Gone are the ugly crusty patches.
4. Antiseptic Ointment for life's little bumps and bruises: Instead of Neosporin, reach for Miracle Healing Salve to both soothe and heal cuts and scrapes.
5. Promotes healing of scars: Slather the Miracle Salve over new scars and watch them heal in days rather than weeks. You can barely see the scar from my recent surgery. It is no longer tender, red and angry looking.
6. Makeup Remover: Smear on your face the wipe away your makeup with a damp washcloth.
7. Facial moisturizer and serum: Yes, really. You would think it would be greasy but the oils absorb quickly and leave your face with a nice, dewy texture.
8. Cuticle and nail conditioner: No more ragged cuticles or dry, splitting nails. This is a byproduct of being diligent about #2. It just happened without my realizing it.
8. Hair serum: A few drops liquefied in your palms and then smoothed over your hair will leave it shiny and less fly-away.
10. Relieve pet scratching and itching: Tucker the Dog was scratching himself in one spot on his belly so I put a little Miracle salve on the spot and a couple of days later he stopped. Was it the smell, the healing properties or just a coincidence? I don't know but it worked.
Items replaced by Miracle Healing Salve
The Final Word
You have not heard the last of this. In addition to this DIY Miracle Healing Salve, I have made batches of Tea Tree Skin Ointment and Lemon Salve. These are themes of the basic formula that were put together to take advantage of the specific properties of oils used in their formulation. I am also experimenting with an infusions of dried oregano and olive oil.
As with all things at Backdoor Survival, I am testing first posting later. Stay tuned!
Enjoy your next adventure through common sense and thoughtful preparation!
If you enjoyed this article, consider subscribing to email updates. When you do, you will receive a free, downloadable copy of my e-Book, The Emergency Food Buyer's Guide.
You can also vote for Backdoor Survival daily at Top Prepper Websites!
Bargain Bin: Here are some links to items used to create your custom-crafted Miracle Healing Salve.
White Plastic Jar with Dome Lid 2 Oz (12 Per Bag): I often chose to use these small ointment jars rather than Mason jars for my salve. I also have similar jars in the 1 ounce size.
Ball Jar Crystal Jelly Jars with Lids and Bands, Quilted, 4-Ounce, Set of 12: Sometimes I use plastic and sometimes I use mason jars. Honestly? It is a matter of personal preference.
Beeswax Organic Pastilles, Yellow, 100% Pure 16 Oz: I ordered the white pastilles but have since learned that the natural yellow pastilles are better. That said, the difference may not be discernable – just be sure that what you purchase is cosmetic grade.
Glass Droppers, Pack of 6: I bought a package of these and loved them. When I went to re-order, I accidentally ordered plastic instead glass droppers. Learn from my mistake. The price is the same go get the glass ones.
Spark Naturals Essential Oils: These is what you need for the Miracle Salve: Lavender essential oil, Rosemary essential oil, and Peppermint essential oil. Enjoy a 10% discount on your Spark Naturals order with code BACKDOORSURVIVAL at checkout.
NOW Foods Essential Oils: My salves were made using essential oils from Spark Naturals. My sniff test tells me they are stronger and more pure smelling. For healing purposes, I feel they are superior. On the other hand, NOW Foods has decent essential oils at a budget price: NOW Foods Rosemary Oil, NOW Foods Peppermint Oil and Now Foods Lavender Oil.
Coconut Oil: Coconut Oil from Tropical Traditions is my preferred coconut oil. I love it so much I purchased a 5 gallon tub. Really, I did! I find it very silky to work with and love the taste when used in cooking. Note that no refrigeration is required and although it solid at room temperature, it melts at 76 degrees. The Nutiva brand from Amazon or Costco works well too.
Kirkland Signature Extra Virgin Olive Oil, 2 Liters (Product of Italy): If you have a Costco close by, get it their. Otherwise, you can use this or any other quality extra virgin olive oil.
The Complete Book of Essential Oils and Aromatherapy: I first became interested in aromatherapy and essential oils in the early 90s which was before they really became mainstream. I read every book I could get my hands on and dabbled at creating synergy's (a combination of two or more oils that create a chemical compound that is greater than the some of its individual components). My bible then, and even now, is this book.
Amazon has a feature called Shop Amazon – Most Wished For Items. This is an easy tool for finding products that people are 'wishing" for and in this way you know what the top products are. All you need to do is select the category from the left hand side of the screen.
The Amazon Top Most Wished For and Best Selling Outdoor Items
Emergency Preparedness Items from Amazon.com
Shop Amazon Tactical – Great Selection of Optics, Knives, Cases, Equipment
Amazon Gift Cards
Help support Backdoor Survival. Purchases earn a small commission and for that I thank you!


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I guess it's true that its always darkest before the dawn.
I was being bogged down with so much legal paperwork to get my husband home from the war zone because of his family needing him here (me and my family), that I would need 3 or 4 secretaries to do it all. I spent a few days working 16 hours a day and I that was about 1/10th the amount I still have to do. I am continually getting emails telling me horror stories of people in my situation and that I should not put my husband in the situation of living with a sick wife, etc. and it finally made me snap emotionally. I spent days sobbing, in confusion so bad I could barely put sentences together. I just felt hopeless. I wondered if what I had was a nervous breakdown, so I looked it up and one site explained:
In breakdowns of the depressive type, there may be uncontrollable crying, loss of pleasure in all activities, dramatic weight loss or weight gain, sleep disruption or extreme sleepiness, confusion, disorientation, extreme feelings of worthlessness, guilt, despair and hopelessness.
That's what I felt. So I begged the Lord to please heal at least that horrible feeling and sobbing and confusion, because He is the only help I have. I fell asleep and woke up feeling better than I have felt in a couple of years! My mind is clear, my emotions are balanced, I am on less than half of my pain medicine, I have not needed any diabetes medicine at all! I am almost afraid to say I am completely and forever healed, in case it will jinx me, but for however long the Lord allows me to feel like this, I PRAISE AND THANK HIM and am enjoying life and every moment! Feeling good is like heaven on earth. You can handle ANYTHING if you've got your health!!
I had to even stop talking to my husband for quite a few days because to even think of all the torment this is, would make me shake and sob. For about 4 days I prayed so very hard for the Lord to give me strength and courage and heal my mind and heart, my unstable emotions, and make me physically stronger...and one morning about 3 days ago I woke up feeling like a different person! My pain meds are less than half, depression is gone, fear is gone, I feel like the Lord can carry me through anything now. Before I kept WANTING to believe it, but I always thought of how much more I would have to suffer through each trial even with His help. . If the Lord helps me stay in this state of mind, things will be fine, and I can see every trial will just be another lesson, not an attack from Satan.
My Dr. was only in the office 2 mornings then took off again so I'm on my own again, trying to figure out if increasing my exercise makes me weaker or stronger, but praying for healing of my heart (physical) if nothing else. Then I'd have more energy to help my hubby when he gets here.
One good thing, the war seems to be easing up where my hubby is, so he is going to see tomorrow if the Taliban have gotten out of the court house so we can get the papers we need. Whatever way it goes, whatever happens, it will be ok. This is so wonderful, I feel like my former strong self that I used to like and was not ashamed of, is back. It's a healing, for sure. Another blessing and small miracle when the Lord knew I could not handle any more. How long it will stay, I don't know. Last time it was 1 week, a few weeks before my Dad passed away. I hope this time of remission is longer.
I pray that all of my beloved friends/readers can experience this SOON!
HOMEWARD BOUND (by Sheila Wall)
Please use author's name when using ANY poetry or articles.
Though dreams are shattered
And friends have gone,
Though winds blow cold
And storms stay long,
Though pain and heartache
Do not belong,
And still they stay, I will sing my song.
Then they will see I'm not around to
let dark shadows get me down,
And though hard problems
do me surround,
I'll let them know I am homeward bound.
I'll wear a smile through thick and thin
Then they will see that we can win
And things are better with a high chin
For then all things can shine again.
CHEERY- by Sheila Wall
A special feeling's in the air,
Can't tell you what it is that's there,
All I know is I can say
Something good's gonna happen today!
The air is cool, the sky is white,
Still I know there's something right!
Someone's on my side today
And no one's gonna take it away,
Cuz something good will happen today!


text:
Ricky Gervias is back, and ready to dish out some really low blows.
"Life's Too Short," the latest comedy series from the writing duo who gave the world the original BBC edition of "The Office" and "Extras," makes its American debut on HBO, another documentary-style look inside the world of fame. This time the camera – and the comedy – is aimed at the real-life, three-foot-six actor Warwick Davis, who's appeared in of "Return of the Jedi," the "Harry Potter" and "Leprechaun" series and star of the 80s fantasy film "Willow."
Davis plays a fictionalized – and highly unlikeable – version of himself, often playing out real ife scenarios that have been heavily reworked for maximum comic potential by Gervais and his "Office" and "Extras" co-star and co-creator Stephen Merchant. Davis also, as in "Extras," often finds himself alongside A-list actors like Johnny Depp, Liam Neeson, Helena Bonham Carter and Steve Carell. As they braced for the American response to their edgy shenanigans, the team gave PopcornBiz a preview.
Warwick Davis: How raunchy do I want it to be? It's kind of already established how raunchy it is. Actually, it's not particularly raunchy. I mean, it does push the boundaries in comedy and that's what's exciting. That's what Ricky and Stephen do best anyway, but it's lovely to have HBO take a series like this, and I think it's a good home for it, certainly.
Ricky Gervias: I think I deal in taboo subjects, particularly in standup, because I want to take the audience to a place they haven't been before – and no harm can come of taboo subjects. And when people say it's sort of outrageous or sick or pushing the boundaries, I don't see that it is. I think some people confuse the target of a joke with the subject of a joke. You know, you can have jokes about race without being racist, et cetera, which we've always done. And I think sometimes people flinch too soon. And very often, the target is people's prejudices or the character's stupidity, so I think smart people know what we're trying to do. We're not trying to be just outrageous for outrageous' sake. That's too easy. It's childish and it's pretty pointless. But I do think you have to go as far as you can to explore comedy. I think the job of a comedian isn't just to make you laugh. It's to make you think as well. I have to be able to justify everything, and that's the truth. I shouldn't have to, but I think I can justify everything we do.
Stephen Merchant: The more we explored this, initially it came from sort of Warwick's own observations of his experience as being a little person. And then, obviously, the fact is that he was in "Willow" and he was in "Return of the Jedi" and all these other things. And so you have a commodity there: you have Warwick's own experience in the real world, as it were, but also his celebrity. And so if we're going to do something kind of truthful and honest, we end up using that aspect of Warwick that does exist, and so inevitably we sort of are in the world, again, of show business. It was all sort of born out of making this kind of twisted version of Warwick, of one aspect of which is celebrity.
Gervais: Even though we have returned, you know, to the subject of fame or celebrity, it's not, really – that's a backdrop. It's still about real people living their lives, and it's a fake documentary like "The Office." I mean, it's moved on. If "The Office" sort of reflected those quaint docu‑soaps of the '90s, where normal people were getting their 15 minutes, this is much more up‑to‑date. This is much more those things where people do anything just to be on television, open the doors 24/7, because they've got a massive tax bill or their agent thinks they can make a fast buck and sell a perfume. And it's almost like fame these days is much more aggressive. It's just rife. There's no shame in anything – and you can't exaggerate it. One thing we found doing this: you can't do something that's so ridiculous that isn't happening in Hollywood. It's literally impossible, so that was fun.
Davis: A few of the things that happened in the show happened to me. And the things that hadn't happened to me that Ricky and Stephen wrote, I always wonder why they hadn't happened to me! They've managed to kind of get inside of the head of a little person so well and so believably that I was thinking "That's a scenario that should have happened by now," and I'm sure some of them will come back to haunt me. It was always fun to sort of play out those scenarios that had happened to me in reality and with Ricky and Stephen's added spin on those, which was so fantastic. What starts as an amusing anecdote becomes hilarious once they get their hands on it.
Gervais: He's used his own name, but it's not like him at all. This man is manipulative, he's exploitive, he's jealous. We have to make him an awful person, because Warwick's screen presence is adorable. He's drenched in humanity, and we had to make him like a Hitler for you to get the gag, and I've never had so much fun. He's the best person to direct. It's like downloading thoughts. And his physicality is amazing. He's like a silent movie star. There's just nothing he won't do. We can dress him up, throw him around, make him climb bookshelves. I was shoving him down a toilet – that's a good day's work.
Merchant: Most often, the physical comedy's born out of the character of Warwick hoist by his own petard. He shouldn't have been in a giant car that he has to fall out of. It was his own fault because of his ego he's bought this great big SUV. He doesn't need to get something from a high shelf – he can ask. But because he's got this chip on his shoulder, he needs to climb it to make a point. So it's born out of this character's kind of inner demons.
Davis: I never could have envisioned that we would have the sort of caliber of guest stars that we ended up getting. And Ricky would text me just "Do you know who we just got?" And name of Johnny Depp would come to me on my phone and I couldn't believe it. I mean, it's great that they wanted to be involved and, they were all an absolute pleasure to work with, I mean, really just terrific people and just gave so much to their day on the show. Really, really fun to work with. Some of them I knew before. Some of them I didn't, but they're all really fabulous people.
"Life's Too Short" debuts this Sunday, February 19th, at 10:30 PM ET on HBO


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Behavior Time necesitaba un nuevo diseño de logotipo y lanzó un concurso de diseño en 99designs.
Un ganador ha sido elegido entre 27 diseños de 13 diseñadores freelance.
Let's Choose
This organization is useful, purposeful, women-owned, local, conscientious, kind-hearted, respectable & knowledgeable. We are not aggressive, bold, carefree or competitive. We appeal to educators and parents more than children but our brand is friendly to kids. Our card game and mock microphone are tools that do something important. We take a step back with our game/tool to learn and impact a child's language, social skills and abiltiy to make good and bad choices.
Teachers, speech pathologists and parents of students seeking behavior modificiation skills and those with learning disabilities who range in age from 6 years to 16 years-old.
See above description of who we are. We don't want the logo to be too bold. We'd like a combo of graphic and text for our logo. We want to convey established, respectable & knowledgeable. We don't want to appear silly, juvenille or that chinsy. This logo will be an "umbrella" logo with more brands and taglines to fall underneath it. Let's Choose for the home. Let's Choose for the classroom. Let's Choose for language. Let's Choose for sentence structure. We like the concept of a + or - sign for good and bad choices. We do not feel red, pink or magenta are good for colors. "Choice" is a hard word to depict graphically. Choice is what our game is all about. Perhaps play on the two "O's" in "Choose" or the apostrophe in "Let's." Maybe the lightbulb over the head theme? The game will be sold in a nice box instead of the current plastic zip bag. It will retail for ~$35. The current website is not at all indicative of what we want but it could be informative. http://www.behaviortime.com. The game was developed by a teacher and speech pathologist (now in private practice). Typcially these two functions within a school do not work synergistically. The founders have broken this stereotype. The game is being used in several states throughout the country by teachers, speech pathologists and parents.
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Few local residents would use the word "grand" to describe Palo Alto's congested, eclectic and motel-dotted stretch of El Camino Real, a state highway that planning officials hope to turn into a vibrant chain of neighborhood centers.
This hope, residents like to point out, is very much divorced from reality, but that hasn't stopped officials from 19 cities from collaborating on what is known as the "Grand Boulevard Initiative," a movement to encourage the transformation of El Camino into a more attractive destination where drivers, bicyclists and pedestrians can safely intermingle.
On Wednesday, the city's Planning and Transportation Commission heard a presentation from Michael Garvey, who chairs the working committee for the Grand Boulevard Initiative and coordinates the regional effort, which includes the area between Daly City and San Jose. In his presentation, Garvey stressed that the goal of the initiative is to help cities along El Camino share information, coordinate planning efforts and pursue a shared vision of the thoroughfare as "a place for residents to work, live, shop and play," contributing to ″an improved and meaningful quality of life."
The effort kicked off in 2006 and so far has consisted mostly of studies, Garvey said. Since its inception, the project has been spearheaded by Samtrans and Joint Venture Silicon Valley, though in recent years several other stakeholders added their names to the sponsors list. The movement has received $8.7 million in grants, mostly for research.
Palo Alto's planning commission has generally supported the vision for a safer and more vibrant El Camino, with Michael Alcheck saying he is "a big fan of the initiative" and Greg Tanaka calling the vision "noble." Yet members also acknowledged Wednesday that advancing it won't be easy.
Today, El Camino features narrow sidewalks, a wide range of land uses and a high number of small parcels, which makes it hard to foster redevelopment. Though Palo Alto's proposal for wider sidewalks would only apply to new developments, property owners have criticized the new requirements, which include expanding minimum sidewalk width from 8 feet to 12 feet. On March 20, property owners argued that the proposed rules would make it nearly impossible for them to redevelop their properties.
On Wednesday, several commissioners cited the political challenges of going along with the regional effort.
Commissioner Carl King cited the commonly heard community refrains -- "I'd never walk there"; "It's such an unattractive place"; "You'll never make it attractive" -- and wondered if any examples exist of the initiative being successfully implemented.
Garvey stressed that each community is approaching the initiative differently, based on its own conditions and ambitions. He pointed to recent projects that the city has undertaken that are consistent with the regional vision, including adding pedestrian amenities at the busy intersection of El Camino and Stanford Avenue and its design standards for new El Camino developments.
Other new city efforts also take inspiration from the Grand Boulevard Initiative, including staff's proposed ordinance encouraging wider sidewalks, which refers numerous times to the initiative.
But some remain skeptical about the vision. Land-use watchdog Bob Moss said Wednesday that it would be near impossible to implement a grand vision on a street where lots are so small and shallow. The fact that El Camino properties often back up against small single-family homes also make it difficult to build high and dense developments, he said.
Alcheck disagreed with Moss and said he's not concerned about the small lot sizes on El Camino. Opportunities will exist, he said, for small lots to be consolidated.
"I sense that some creative parcel accumulation by creative developers will alleviate that issue," Alcheck said.
Tanaka, who at a prior meeting called the initiative a "noble cause," nevertheless pointed to the challenges of furthering it in Palo Alto.
Pursuing this vision requires actions that are often unpopular and opposed by property owners, as with the sidewalk ordinance, which the planning commission voted against in early April and the City Council is scheduled to consider on June 2.
"How do you balance the two and try to make it possible?" Tanaka asked, referring to the disparities in the vision and actual application.


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U.S. Equal Employment
Opportunity Commission
EEOC's briefs collection contains briefs filed by the EEOC in the United States Courts of Appeals in cases in which the EEOC is a party. In addition, the collection also includes EEOC amicus briefs filed in the U.S. Courts of Appeals, district courts, and state courts. This database includes most briefs filed in 2000 onwards, and some briefs prior to that date. Specific briefs, identified by case name, may be requested by e-mail sent to email@example.com. Older briefs are available in the court in which they were filed. While we endeavor to ensure that electronic copies of briefs on this site are complete and accurate, errors or omissions may occur. The official text of any brief is the text filed with the Court.
Briefs filed in the Supreme Court are available from the Office of the Solicitor General at the Department of Justice.


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Thanks so much for your support again last week, wow there were some truly amazing entries! Our winner of the fabulous prize sponsored as always by Wild Orchid Crafts is Anne Marie
Random Integer Generator
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Timestamp: 2010-09-19 21:33:32 UTC
We also have our top 3, shortlisted by the DT then given over to Random.org to get to the final 3 as we loved so many of the entries again this week. The Top 3 for challenge 5 are
Inger Harding
Congratulations ladies, please can you pick up the Top 3 blinkie in the side-bar.
This week the challenge is to use Ribbons and Bows on your creations. And here's the fabulous prize up for grabs!
You don't have to use Wild Orchid Crafts products to enter, but if you do that would be wonderful. You can combine our challenge with any other challenges of your choice and as long as you follow the theme for this challenge and you link back to Wild Orchid Challenge blog you will qualify to be in the draw for the fab prize. NO back linking, new projects/cards only please.
Please link your card or project (not your blog) in Mr Linky 8pm UK time Sunday 3rd October.
Here's some inspiration from the DT
Please turn off comment verification if you want the DT to leave you a comment. There are step by step instructions in the side bar on how to turn it off and enable moderation (which allows you to screen the comments left). Thanks.


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Developed by educators at the Lawrence Hall of Science, Sunprints encourage an interest in the photographic process using only sun, water, and a bit of imagination.
Place a fern, flower, or other object on the special paper and set it in the sun briefly. Then rinse the paper in water and watch as a beautiful long-lasting image appears!
Contains 15 8"x12" sheets and 1 acrylic overlay.
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The days of layaways: Guide to using it wisely
No, not holiday layabouts—those are the family members that show up in December and hang out on the couch…
We're talking about holiday layaways—the service offered by major retailers allowing customers to pay for holiday gifts in installments leading up to the holiday. You don't take the item home until you make the final payment—but it's held for you in the meantime.
Layaways were petty common in pre-credit card days. Today, with more and more credit cards being maxed out, the layaway is making a big comeback.
Here's what you can expect:
- A substantial downpayment – Sometimes up to 25% of the purchase price.
- Cancelation fees – If you miss a payment or back out altogether, you not only could lose your downpayment but you might be socked with a cancellation fee.
Fortunately competition is pushing major retailers to ease some of these provisons. For example, Walmart will refund payments via a gift card if you back out. And Kmart has removed its layaway service fees for online and in-store sales through Nov. 17.
So, should you do it?
Compare the fees that you would pay under a layaway plan vs. the interest you would pay using a credit card. The benefit of using a card of course is that you can take the item home immediately.
If you're using layaway because your credit cards are maxed out, please be careful. Understandably you may need to buy some gifts, but you're digging your debt pit deeper. Buy small.
And, as with so many financial transactions, understand the terms and don't be impulsive.
Or here's an idea…instead of making payments over time, set aside money over time. Then pay for the item in cash.
Yeah, just call me Scrooge!


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Jessica Simpson may be a frequent tabloid target for her fluctuating figure, but one person who sees nothing wrong with the star's physique is her sister, Ashlee Simpson-Wentz.
"It's disgusting that people would say those things," Ashlee said in the December issue of Women's Health magazine. "My sister has an incredible body. I feel sorry for anyone who would judge her, because she's one sexy lady."
VIEW THE PHOTOS: Celebrity Siblings
When it comes to her own body, Ashlee said she never has to worry about what the media thinks, because her husband's opinion is the only one that matters.
"He always makes me feel sexy," she said of Fall Out Boy rocker Pete Wentz.
VIEW THE PHOTOS: Proud Pop Star Parents: Ashlee Simpson & Pete Wentz
But one physical change the Broadway-bound Ashlee couldn't help but notice came when she was pregnant with the couple's first child, Bronx Mowgli, who she gave birth to in November 2008.
"I had E's!" she exclaimed over her booming bra size while she was breast feeding Bronx.
And when it was time to regain her pre-pregnancy body, Ashlee said it wasn't to make anyone happy but herself.
VIEW THE PHOTOS: Jessica Simpson
"I wasn't in a rush to get back to this body for anyone else," she admitted. "It was more like, 'I wanna look good [for me]. I wanna feel good."
Down the road, should her frame blow up a bit, that will be just fine too.
"There's gonna be a time when I'm way curvier, and that'll be sexy too," she continued. "What defines sexy is not someone's weight. Personally, I like curves."
Related Content from AccessHollywood.com:
PLAY IT NOW: Jessica Simpson: 'If You Can't Love Yourself,' You Can't Love Others
PLAY IT NOW: Pete Wentz Talks Baby Photo Rumors, New Album & Tour
MORE ACCESS ON THESE TOPICS: Ashlee Simpson - Jessica Simpson - Pete Wentz - Style - Media


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Port of Dubuque Marina
The Port of Dubuque Marina
The Port of Dubuque Marina is a 70 slip transient marina in downtown Dubuque, Iowa, located at mile 579.4 of the upper Mississippi River inside the protected Ice Harbor. Guests can spend a day, night, or a few hours enjoying the many downtown and Port of Dubuque attractions.
National Mississippi River Museum and Aquarium
, the
Grand Harbor Resort and Waterpark
, the
Diamond Jo Casino
Stone Cliff Winery
are a few of the many attractions you will find along the scenic
Mississippi Riverwalk
, which starts at the Marina's door and leads you through Dubuque's
Art on the River
exhibit on your way to the historic
Star Brewery
Shot Tower
Dock are available by the hour or overnight, reservations are accepted for up to 14 consecutive days. Reservation includes water and 30 or 50 amp electrical connection for boats up to 100'.
A full service fuel dock with gas and diesel fuels and sanitary pump-out is located within the marina for easy access. The Port of Dubuque Marina docks and shower suite have secure access for boaters.
The Port of Dubuque Marina convenience store carries a selection of boating essentials such as supplies, water, ice cream, beer and ice, in addition to the little things our guests might have left behind. Our friendly staff will be more than happy to provide you with area
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Due to the location of the Marina, there is
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Port of Dubuque Marina
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Phone: 563.582.5524
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We also monitor Marine Radio Channels 16 & 68.
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"Voice for the Voiceless"
Honoring Grandma Agnes Pilgrim
with Julie Norman
a 30 minute video on RVTV
Produced by Nancy Bloom
for her series
LIFE PASSAGES - The Soul's Journey
Grandma Aggie is the descendant of tribal leaders, both political and spiritual, so she works hard to keep tradition alive and to renew it, as with the Sacred Salmon Ceremony that she has brought back to her homeland in the Rogue River Valley of southwest Oregon after 140 years.
"A Voice for the Voiceless"
Honored as a "Living Treasure" by her tribe, the Confederated Tribes of Siletz, and as a "Living Cultural Legend" by the Oregon Council of the Arts, Grandma Aggie is an exceptionally clear and strong speaker whose no-nonsense eloquence has touched people of many different cultures in the US and around the world. An Ambassador for our Mother Earth, she is a voice for the voiceless, seeking to prevent spiritual blindness by helping us to remember the ways of living that we all share as people of the Earth.
There's lots of spiritual work to be done these days, and Grandma Aggie's doing her best to keep up. The goal of this website is to keep you informed of the latest, so that she can be in your prayers as you are in hers.
For a good written introduction to who she is, see From Grandma Aggie, an article from World Pulse Magazine.
And for a great speech, see the talk she gave at the Earth & Spirit Conference in Portland, in the Videos section.
To learn what she's been up to in the last year, especially since the Sacred Salmon Ceremony in June, see Blessings & News, 12/05.
The International Council of 13 Indigenous Grandmothers is one new activity that seems very promising, and there are now at least 6 websites that describe it (see Links). The section, 13 Grandmothers' Council, provides a brief summary. But first, see this very inspiring excerpt from a video in process, For the Next Seven Generations: The Grandmothers Speak.
Photos – 7 Generations Family photos spanning 7 generations and 125 years, from Grandfather Olhatha, George Harney, first Chief of the Confederated Tribes of Siletz in the 1880s to Great-Great-Great-Granddaughter Natalie Solis in 2005 can be viewed in this section as a slide show or individual photos.
Photos – Spiritual Work Thirty-six years of dedication to the spirit have brought Grandma Aggie into a wide variety of lessons and opportunities to give. From pow-wows to environmental conferences, from schools to health centers, Aggie has been busy reaching out to people of all cultures and ages, including people as diverse as Martha Stewart, Bruce Babbitt (former Secretary of the Interior), Gloria Steinem and Alice Walker at special events like the Sacred Salmon Ceremony and the International Council of 13 Indigenous Grandmothers A few of these are shown in this section as a slide show or individual photos.
The Past Events section is a first start at recording some of the key events in 81 years of Grandma Aggie's life. But It's hard to complete. New things of great potential just keep on happening.
Please check out the Links section for lots of related stories on other websites.
And the Calendar for upcoming events.


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(888) 768-5759
As per our Shipping and Returns Policy, custom cuts and fabricated parts are non-returnable. If you need an over- or undersized item, note it under "Comments" during Checkout. Cut-to-size orders have an acceptable cut tolerance of 1/8" (0.125"), so clarify if the adjustment is to be made on the (+) or (-) side of the saw blade. Please review our full return and shipping policy here.
Since custom cuts and fabricated parts are non-refundable, be very careful while measuring your dimensions. As each cut is nominal, even the slightest miscalculation could be costly.
Extend your tape measure several inches to find the 1 and 2 inch markers. In between the inch markers you'll find 16 equally spaced tick marks.
Measure by counting the increments beyond the nearest inch. As the increments decrease, so does the length of the mark. For example, 1/2" has a bigger mark than 1/4" which has a bigger mark than 1/8". The smallest mark follows at 1/16". Please be aware that some measuring tapes may have even smaller increments.
The sliding end hook is designed for two different types of measurements. An outside measurement (where the hook of the tape hangs over an edge), requires the hook to slide out a bit to account for the thickness of the material. When making an inside measurement (where the hook will push up against a surface), the clip slides in, again, accounting for its thickness. The measuring tape self-adjusts to guarantee an accurate measurement (as far as the tape is concerned).
Turcite® A is an internally lubricated, acetal-based thermoplastic. It is available in turquoise and suited for moderate loads and speeds. Turcite® A is ideal for applications with high wear and friction requirements. It has minimal hygroscopic characteristics and low thermal expansion properties, offering high structural stability. It performs well under vibratory and dynamic loading and is easily machined. Turcite® A also offers outstanding service life, continuous maximum temperatures of 180°F and is more wear resistant than its counterpart, Turcite® X.
Long Service LifeDue to Turcite® A's low water absorption, its applications retain their integrity throughout their life span, making it so you you'll spend less time and money replacing parts and products.
Low Coefficient of FrictionTurcite® A offers an extremely low Coefficient of Friction (COF), due in part to its specialized self-lubricating formula. The sliding advantage produced from the dry lubricant generates a smoother, quieter operation without the need of extra product. It also ensures improved sliding behavior by offering a near-zero level of slip-stick and by eliminating backsliding issues that occur in parts that experience high-pressure conditions.
ColorTurcite® A is offered in turquoise, offering a look that is visually attractive and distinct.


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Testifying under oath recently, Secretary of State Condoleezza Rice misled Congress in her strong defense of Al-Hurra, the taxpayer financed Arab TV network. It was unwitting, though. She herself was misled.
During the March 21 House Foreign Operations Appropriations subcommittee hearing, Rep. Mark Kirk (R., Ill.) pressed Ms. Rice on the wisdom of providing a platform to Islamic terrorists, citing Hezbollah leader Sheikh Hassan Nasrallah's Dec. 7 speech, which Al-Hurra aired live. The broadcast speech "went on for 30 minutes," she responded, "followed by commentary, much of which was critical of Nasrallah."
In fact, Mr. Nasrallah's speech was carried in its entirety, roughly an hour and eight minutes. The commentary that followed -- a 13-minute phone interview with Wael Abou Faour, a member of Lebanon's governing coalition -- was indeed critical of Mr. Nasrallah. He accused the Hezbollah leader of not being anti-U.S. and anti-Israel enough. While Mr. Nasrallah had claimed Lebanon's governing coalition was aligned with the U.S. and had backed Israel during the war last summer, Mr. Abou Faour said that Hezbollah was actually closer to the U.S and added that any Lebanese faction that assisted "the Israeli enemy" should not be allowed to engage in political discussion because "the only place they should be [is] in prison."
The secretary of state's testimony was without doubt delivered in good faith. But the same cannot be said of the information about the broadcast Al-Hurra provided to the State Department.
There is no practicable way to effectively monitor Al-Hurra.
Unfortunately, there is no practicable way that Foggy Bottom, or anyone else for that matter, can effectively monitor Al-Hurra, which has come under fire since the publication of my story about it on The Wall Street Journal's editorial page in March. The Broadcasting Board of Governors (BBG), the congressionally created independent panel charged with oversight, lacks the ability to conduct even basic auditing, as English transcripts are provided only on request -- which rarely happens. Worse, there is no good channel for whistleblowers to communicate with the board without fear of retribution.
With an annual budget now over $70 million, Al-Hurra has for three years served as the centerpiece of America's aggressive post-9/11 courtship of the Arab world. Insiders maintain that the network was fulfilling its mission until it hired former CNN producer Larry Register last November. Mr. Register has not, to his credit, changed Al-Hurra's dedication to showcasing the full range of U.S. politics. The other side of the network, however, has been "gutted," in the words of one staffer. Even though Mr. Register has made some improvements since the March column, Al-Hurra still produces far fewer stories about Arab government corruption and human-rights abuses. (Mr. Register did not respond to repeated requests for an interview.)
Al-Hurra was intended to cut through the anti-West and anti-U.S. propaganda that permeates even mainstream Arab media. Stories in that vein no longer see significant airtime, and nowhere is this more apparent than Al-Hurra's new approach to the Holocaust -- the treatment of which in Arab society embodies so much that is wrong in that critical region of the Muslim world.
It is precisely because of Arab society's persistent refusal to accept the existence of such a defining -- and indisputable -- event in modern history that Al-Hurra dared to do things Al-Jazeera would never fathom, such as interviewing Holocaust survivor Elie Wiesel and airing the 60th anniversary of the liberation of Auschwitz. But that was under Mr. Register's predecessor, a Lebanese-born Muslim named Mouafac Harb.
Under Mr. Register, Al-Hurra covered the Holocaust denial conference in Tehran last December. But in a stark break from Mr. Harb's era, Iranian President Mahmoud Ahmadinejad and the attendees at his conference were treated with unmistakable deference.
Al-Hurra's Dec. 12 report on the gathering included David Duke's praise for Mr. Ahmadinejad, and it took at face value the organizers' demand for Israel "to provide proof and evidence that certifies the occurrence" of the Holocaust. An official running the event was afforded the opportunity to show the open-mindedness of Holocaust deniers: "If we actually conclude with our experts through this meeting that the Holocaust is a real incident we will at that time admit its presence." (Transcript provided by a fluent Arabic-speaking U.S. government employee.)
Also broadcast unchallenged were the remarks of the infamous French Holocaust denier Robert Faurisson, who informed Arab viewers: "Gas chambers and mass killings of the Jews, in the way that it is pretended (by the Jews), is completely untrue, and an historical lie."
The Al-Hurra reporter stationed in Tehran referred to those who believe Hitler killed six million Jews as "Holocaust supporters." He took a swipe at the handful of conference attendees who didn't deny the Holocaust, by noting that they "didn't enforce their statements with scientific evidence." In closing the piece, he referred to Israel as "the Jewish state on Palestinian lands."
Almost six weeks later, on Jan. 20, Al-Hurra aired a follow-up story on the Neturei Karta, the fringe group of ultraorthodox, anti-Zionist Jews who met with Mr. Ahmadinejad. There was obviously world-wide media fascination with the Jews who ventured to a Holocaust denial forum hosted by the man who wants to wipe Israel off the map. Responsible journalists, though, were careful to provide the necessary context, the most important of which is that the Neturei Karta is a marginal group with world-wide membership, according to its Web site, of "several thousand."
Responsible Al-Hurra was not.
The Neturei Karta were presented as mainstream Orthodox Jews, and Al-Hurra claimed that they number more than one million. The story's angle is clear from the anchor's introduction: "They always put Israeli officials in a bind, who can't seem to understand how Jews can oppose Zionism, or how a Jew can encourage Iranian president Mahmoud Ahmadinejad in his opposition to Israel." Various Neturei Karta members uttered outrageous falsehoods about supposed "Zionist" cruelty, including "torture, detention, [and the] burning of their synagogues." None of these libels were challenged, let alone debunked.
"There is no purpose in doing a soft feature of the Neturei Karta, except to pander to or bolster vicious Arab and Muslim propaganda about Jews, Israel, and the Holocaust," notes Mark Broxmeyer, chairman of the Jewish Institute for National Security Affairs.
In fairness, there's no reason to suppose Mr. Register understood exactly what was being broadcast: He doesn't speak Arabic. Then again, there's no evidence that he bothered, or cared, to learn about the contents. Either way, Mr. Register clearly doesn't grasp Al-Hurra's mission.
Combating this nonsense should be ground zero in our quest to inject truth and information into the Arab world.
Holocaust denial is rampant in the Arab world, even among the educated; there's a widespread embrace of conspiratorial explanations for world events, such as theories about Jews perpetrating 9/11, and notorious forgeries such as "The Protocols of the Elders of Zion," which is widely sold and read throughout the region. Arab media do not challenge this mindset, but usually indulge it.
Combating this nonsense should be ground zero in our quest to inject truth and information into the Arab world. If we can't do this, how will we ever be able counteract the jihadists who preach to the masses that America is waging war on Islam?
The person tasked with counteracting those jihadists, Undersecretary of State Karen Hughes, is a stalwart supporter of Mr. Register. At an April 19 House Foreign Operations Appropriations subcommittee hearing, after two congressmen gave Ms. Hughes a bipartisan earful about Mr. Register, she responded that she has heard nothing but "high praise" and "rave reviews." Just last Friday, Ms. Hughes went to Al-Hurra's D.C.-area headquarters, signaling that she still backs Mr. Register. Meanwhile, five of the six BBG members--outgoing chairman Ken Tomlinson was the lone dissenter--are ardent Register partisans, voting 5-1 against investigating Mr. Register's questionable editorial decisions.
Key lawmakers don't share such exuberance. Reps. Dan Burton (R., Ind.) and Robert Wexler (D., Fla.) are circulating to fellow House Foreign Affairs Committee members a letter which asks Ms. Rice for an investigation into Al-Hurra. And Rep. Steve Rothman (D., N.J.), who sits on the panel responsible for funding Al-Hurra, has proposed live Internet streaming of the network, full online digital archives, and English transcripts for all programs.
Lack of active oversight and transparency has obviously contributed to the current mess at Al-Hurra. If someone outside Al-Hurra had been able to view the Nasrallah speech merely by going online, for example, Ms. Rice almost certainly would not have been fed false information.
But that's not enough. The people who already monitor the network -- its employees -- need to be empowered to report dubious decisions without fear of reprisal. Transparency will allow concerns to be investigated swiftly. Employees simply won't come forward, though, if they believe no one in power cares. For that reason, a clear signal must be sent by firing Mr. Register.
After all, if you can't get fired for using U.S. taxpayer dollars to provide a platform for Islamic terrorists and help further Holocaust denial, then wouldn't Congress and the Bush administration be communicating that pretty much anything goes?


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Burn-offs spark air quality health fears
The Doctors for the Environment group says there should be better ways to monitor air quality during planned burns.
Burn-offs caused thick smoke across parts of Gippsland on Friday and some residents said visibility was down to about 500 metres.
Gippsland paediatrician Jo McCubbin says there was not enough information available from the Environment Protection Authority or the Department of Health at the time.
She says there should be more warnings about air quality during planned burns, and closer monitoring of conditions.
"The problem for us I think is that Traralgon is the last monitoring station and I've heard from people that it wasn't that smoky in the Latrobe Valley, even though it was actually double their upper limit of very poor air quality in the Latrobe Valley," she said.
"I think lots of people would say it was a lot worse further east."
She says there should be better monitoring of air quality in central and East Gippsland so residents can take preventative action.
"Well I think the ideal is what they have in Newcastle where they've put in 17 monitoring stations up and down the Hunter Valley because of coal dust issues and you can sign up to get a text message every time it's unhealthy so that you can take preventative action, sort of as you can for a bushfire in your area," she said.
"So the technology is there and we could do it."
The Liberal MP for Eastern Victoria, Phillip Davis, says planned burns are necessary and information on air quality during the burns is already available.
Topics: fires, emergency-planning, air-pollution, health, doctors-and-medical-professionals, traralgon-3844, sale-3850
First posted


text:
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19 October 2018
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22 May 2017
lingoking was quick and easy to use, sent them a scanned copy of my license and they posted me back a stamped translation within days. Would definitely recommend. (5/5 stars)
19 May 2017
Very quick and hassle-free processing. (5/5 stars)


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Essential Guides
Breastfeeding and Pumping
- Breastfeeding and returning to work
- A breast pump primer
- Pumping at work: Continue breastfeeding after you return to the office
- Return-to-work nursing
Member Questions
- If you breastfed after returning to work, how long did you do it for? Did your
- If you pumped at work, where did you do it?
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It's been AGES since I've written a blog post / posted to lookbook / done anything online hehe my main reason for this being that I broke all important technology in my life (laptop/phone) in the space of three months and have only just gained the privilege of finally owning a working laptop again... I am legit cursed and break everything. Anyway, here's a v appropriate summer outfit in celebration of me hopefully getting back to blogging. Also I'm going to Corfu soon so excuse my current sickly paleness, I will soon be out of this cave/ country. Xxx hope at least some of you guys are still there/ I haven't been completely abandoned, I am starting again I promise.
Bralet: House of Fraser
Skirt: New Look
Cardigan: Zara
Face: Perturbed


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Message Board
Jack Williamson Message Board
Talk about the novels, new and used books that Williamson has written!
Author Williamson's Book Reviews
Terraforming Earth
Tor, Jul 2001, 24.95, 352 pp. ISBN: 0312872003 In one catastrophic hit, four billion years of evolution and growth are erased. A century has passed since the asteroid crashed into earth eradicating just about every living creature on the planet. The only human survivors are clones from long dead parents who live in Tycho Station, a dome with tunnels on the moon. Each subsequent lunar generation understands the prime goal is to return...


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By Chris Wright
Proud as punch
Newcastle's beloved director of football, Joe Kinnear, delved deep into his mighty mind to retrieve yet another gleaming pearl of wisdom while outlining the club's transfer mandate in his notes in the matchday programme for Sunday's game against Man City, musing thus:
"(We want) to recruit players whose futures are ahead of them, not behind."
Can't argue with the logic, can you?
By the way, that sound you hear is the muffled weeping of thousands of exasperated Geordies as they collectively mash their faces into their palms.
(Thanks to F365 for the spot)


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|Institution Type:
|Private not-for-profit
|Campus Setting:
|Great Lakes Large City
|Highest Degree Offered:
|Master's degree
|Level of Institution:
|Four or more years
Robert Morris is a great school. Everyone is so friendly and helpful. I made a wonderful decision by coming here.…
Robert Morris University Illinois is an institution that has made improvements in it's academic curriculum over the past decade. I attended two different schools before transferring here and by far…
Robert Morris University is a good school. Since coming here i have learned alot about the Culinary Arts. The teachers are very good at helping you with any and everything.…
High educated teachers who are able to work one on one with each and every student. The fast track four year plan is able to get students in and out…
robert morris university is a very good school. the staff carry themselves in a very professional manner. robert morris have a nice diverse environment. i recommend robert morris university.…
I am enjoying the school greatly because you meet so many people there and its pretty easy to make friends and there are loads of activities and clubs to get into while you're there.Read More
i would enjoy being here because everything i need is in 1 building and there is no need to travel or go anywhere. the library the lunch room and everything needed is in 1 building.Read More
You will enjoy being in class and on campus. It is a great experience so far and you get to meet new people which will help so much. It is really enjoyable to attend Robert Morris.Read More
Small but very nice campus, wish there was housing available to students.Read More
It is quite decent here. The community in the school are very nice and friendly. The kitchens we use in culinary are great are there are also clubs and sports that you can join.Read More


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The girls over at Project Nursery, the fabulous decorating website that I contribute to, just launched a new website offering their services for baby & children's room design, Little Apple Design! The style of the website is oh-so fabulouso! Melisa & Pam provide design services from inspiration boards to full service interior design! Check them out HERE!
Monday, August 17, 2009
Project Nursery: Little Apple Design Launch!
Posted by Kim - The TomKat Studio at 12:00 PM
Labels: baby rooms, cool websites, project nursery
5 comments:
- Christi Bennett @ pisforparty said...
What a neat idea!
- August 17, 2009 at 12:23 PM
- Jen said...
Super cute!
- August 17, 2009 at 3:11 PM
- Project Nursery said...
Your the best Kim, thanks!
- August 17, 2009 at 6:07 PM
- CAKE Creative Co. said...
i've already gotten addicted to project nursery. and now i see they have nursery designers in sf? hmmm... i'll have to keep that in mind.
- August 17, 2009 at 10:00 PM
- Richa said...
Project Nursery gives some great ideas. Their new venture will be something to look forward to.
Your site looks very inviting too, Kim. I love the layout.
- August 18, 2009 at 9:52 AM
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BOTB Swim and Dive
Related Story
COLUMBIA -- He might be the most decorated athlete on Missouri's campus you've never heard of. David Bonuchi won three state high school diving championships while at Hickman.
The Mizzou sophomore also owns more than a handful of Junior National Titles, but the latest accomplishment beats them all.
Bonuchi knows a lot about comebacks, since last August, it's all he's done.
"He was twisting and spinning and got lost in the air and landed sideways on the water off the 10 meter and actually ruptured his eardrum," Head Diving Coach Jamie Sweeney said.
It took about a month to recover from the eardrum, but other injuries followed.
"He grabbed his hands just a little bit funny and ended up breaking his thumb," Sweeney said. "I think is was the day before he was supposed to get his split off, he injured his hand. We call him Mr. Glass. He just thinks about getting hurt and he's injured."
So the diver prepared for the biggest meet of the year, the USA National Championships, by staying dry.
"It doesn't allow me to do anything besides dry land, which is just conditioning, jumps and flips without water time," Bonuchi said.
"I'm coaching him as he models his dives on each level of the diving board, but we can't actually do dives head first into the water," Sweeney said.
Bonuchi faced more adversity in the preliminaries. Against the top 36 divers in the country, he was winning after the first two rounds.
"I fell off the board on my 3rd dive and in my mind I was like, there is no way to come back," Bonuchi said.
But Sweeney had a message for the diver he's coached for the past eight years.
"I told him we're not giving up yet. We're not done. When you have the ability to get 9's on your last three dives, the meet's not over," Sweeney said.
"You've gotten this far. Why throw it away where there's always that chance some other people might mess up and you can slip in," Bonuchi added.
Bonuchi avoided more slips, as he bounced, flipped and twisted his way into the finals.
"By the time the finals came around I think everybody and their brother wanted him to win the meet," Sweeney said.
He finished with a gainer twister and clinched the USA Men's 1 Meter Diving National Championship.
"It was the meet with the best of the best and under adverse conditions he was able to come out with the win," Sweeney said. "You don't have to know anything about diving to watch that nationals and see that's one of the greatest comebacks I've ever seen in any sport."
He faces long odds to splash into the summer olympics, but don't ever count Bonuchi out.
"There's always that opportunity for me to squeeze in there this year, but in my mind I'm looking forward and thinking 2016," Bonuchi said.
Next up for Bonuchi, the Big 12 Championships, then the NCAA's, and in early summer, the Olympic trials where he'll compete in the 10 meter platform, and the three meter individual and synchronized.
The Big 12 Swimming and Diving Championships are in Columbia next week, February 22-25.


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so this is how incredibly subtle silabataparamasa can be . It can at times even lead to kusala actions.This rite and ritual
leads him who perfects it to perfect bliss in becoming in the fortunate states of
the sense sphere or in the fine-material or immaterial kinds of becoming," and
he performs kamma to achieve that. That kamma of his is kamma-process
becoming. The aggregates generated by the kamma are rebirth-process becoming.
But the percipient, etc., kinds of becoming are included in that, too. So rules-andvows
clinging is a condition for all three, namely, the sense-desire, fine-material
and immaterial kinds of becoming with their analysis and their synthesis.
What more to say of any special practice we think is needed to make vipassana arise. So certainly an idea that by sitting (or standing or walking or talking) or focussing on this or focussing on that , that these actions are neccessary conditions for insight to arise is an aspect of wrong view and silabataparamasa.
Like now, can insight arise while typing on a computer- Yes provided there is enough right understanding. But if one then tries to make it happen, or thinks they should focus on the fingers or the feelings or whatever their object of choice is then that shows a lack of understanding of how incredibly anatta and uncontrollable is each moment.
There is not the patience (khanti) to let satisampajanna arise naturally, as it must if the conditions are there. If one tries in this way it shows one still has some doubts or even disbelieves the texts about anatta. The theory and the practice conform completely: not "oh I still have self, I will do my practice and after I become sotapanna there will be no self" . It will never happen


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SOUTHWEST ASIA -- When a homeowner needs to redo a wall, repair the roof, and re-key a lock, several calls must be made.
The Air Force only has to make one.
Structural maintainers are "like the carpenters, welders, roofers and handymen, kind of all rolled up into one," said Tech. Sgt. Howard Jones, 380th Expeditionary Civil Engineer Squadron structures NCO in charge.
"Our core training includes learning how to do cylinder locks, metal work, sheetrock, carpentry, welding and more," he said.
The 380th ECES structures shop is responsible for maintaining the operability and security of 380th AEW facilities, as well as performing renovations and construction projects within some of the facilities.
Without these structural technicians to maintain the facilities that house the wing's aircraft and its people, there would be "a domino effect," Jones said.
"For instance, we maintain the hangars," said Jones, a Vacaville, Calif., native deployed from Travis Air Force Base, Calif. "If we're not working on the hangars, the hangar door closes and they can't get it open. The plane is stuck inside and the mission doesn't take off.
"We also help maintain the quarters that people sleep in. if their quarters aren't maintained and they're not getting sleep, then they're coming to work all groggy. They're not able to do their job either."
Senior Airman Jose Remigio said the maintainers are also locksmiths.
"If they want a building re-keyed or (for us) to install new cypher locks, we do that too," said Remigio, a Long Island, N.Y., native, also deployed from Travis AFB. "So we help with security as well."
Though the maintainers wear many hats, it's often what they love most about their job. Job satisfaction for Jones is "the ability to be creative," he said. "There's not just one way to do any one thing.
"Sometimes you have to sit there and you have to think it out. It's kind of like doing a puzzle every time you go to work."
Remigio agreed.
"We do a variety of jobs; we're not doing the same thing again and again," he said. "You learn a lot from your job and you can apply it anywhere."
In addition to the job variety, Staff Sgt. Camille Regina said she loves working with her co-workers.
"We have the best camaraderie in the Air Force," said Regina, a Beach Lake, Pa., native deployed from Shaw AFB, S.C. "Not only here and where we're stationed, but in the whole Air Force, the structures shop has this immense camaraderie that I love. I can rely on my people to back me up."


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It's not often that you hear a governor admit that the budget he's just released is crap.
But that's essentially what Gov. Jerry Brown said Thursday.
The governor, sounding a bit annoyed at having to introduce the budget four days early (after it was mistakenly posted on the web), told reporters over and over how much he disliked his own budget. He called the budget, more than once, "not nice" in its cuts in programs for the poor. He suggested cuts would produce "hardship" and "burdens" for Californians.
And then he invoked excrement explicitly.
"These numbers emanate from the bowels of the finance department bureaucracy," he said.
Crap, of course, is exactly what the political moment calls for. Brown has all but staked his governorship on convincing voters to raise taxes to help the state's finances. To make that sale, Brown must show that he's causing real pain through cuts and that the failure of his tax initiative -- expected to be on the November ballot -- would forestall even worse cuts. If Brown had released a budget Thursday that protected major programs and made people happy, critics would have asked why new taxes were needed.
Brown faced skepticism from reporters who asked -- in a variety of ways -- whether he was releasing a -- let's call it smelly -- budget just to scare voters into raising taxes. His answer is that these cuts, and his numbers, were reality, albeit a crappy reality. But the document was framed in a specifically political way -- with billions in additional cuts -- mostly to education -- that would be triggered if voters don't approve his tax initiative.
While the political dynamic of this budget was new, the document itself is very similar to the budgets that Californians have passed again and again over the last decade. The budget triggers in the new budget are a device used in this year's budget. There is some fiscal sleight of hand -- gimmicks and borrowing to disguise the size of the hole. There are cuts targeted at welfare and services for the poor and children.
Thousands of government job cuts were promised, with the number 15,000 suggested (the budget document itself suggests fewer), which prompted one wise old Sacramento reporter to ask whether Brown's cuts -- on top of the past year's job reductions -- were approaching the 40,000 in jobs cuts promised by Brown's 2010 gubernatorial opponent Meg Whitman. (Brown dismissed the question).
Brown also offered a few philosophical references. In explaining why his budget eliminates penalties for school districts that don't abide state rules on class sizes, he said he wanted different places to try different strategies.
"Let a thousand flowers bloom," he declared, a borrowing from Mao Zedong's famous "Let a hundred flowers blossom. Let a hundred schools of thought contend."
Of course, Mao jailed those who took him up on the offer to speak out. Brown, to his credit, repeatedly said he was open-minded -- and urged all Californians (and especially Sacramento Bee columnist Dan Walters, one of his questioners), to bring forth their ideas on the budget.
The trouble is that Brown's budget approach is actually narrow. He has declined to pursue broad changes to the budget and tax system that would end the perpetual crisis. Instead, he and his team have argued theirs is the only realistic way forward, and have made something of a fetish of calling his budget plans "honest" and framing his approach as an attack on debt -- even as he relies on borrowing and gimmicks (not the least of which are the triggers).
The "honest" budget he proposed for the next budget year, 2012-2013, includes a structural deficit projection of $9.2 billion. Unfortunately, much of that deficit is a rollover from the deficit in this year's "honest" budget.
As politics, this budget is good enough to serve as the centerpiece on the dining room table. But as policy, this budget -- like virtually every recent budget in California's broken system -- belongs in the bathroom.