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Chinese firm completes deal for A123
A Chinese-owned company completed its purchase of nearly all assets of bankrupt Waltham battery maker A123 Systems Inc. Tuesday, a day after winning approval of the deal by a federal oversight committee.
Wanxiang America Corp., the North American subsidiary of the Chinese auto parts conglomerate Wanxiang Group, said it was notified Monday that the Committee on Foreign Investment in the United States, or CFIUS, had cleared its purchase of A123. CFIUS is a secretive federal panel that scrutinizes foreign acquisitions of American businesses to protect national security.
The closing of the deal culminates Wanxiang's months-long pursuit of A123, which struggled in recent years as electric vehicles, one of its key markets, failed to grow as quickly as predicted. Wanxiang has pledged to maintain and grow operations in the United States and Massachusetts. A123 had about 1,000 US employees in December, including 300 in Massachusetts.
Rob Johnson, president of A123's Westborough-based energy solutions group, which makes batteries for utility-scale power storage, said those operations will remain in Massachusetts and are expected to expand as Wanxiang introduces A123 to new customers like State Grid, one of China's major grid operators. The group now employs about 150.
"They'll bring us access to China and a [strong] balance sheet,'' Johnson said.
After A123 filed for bankruptcy protection in October, Wanxiang won an auction overseen by the bankruptcy court to acquire all but the company's US military business and contracts. Wanxiang bid nearly $257 for the advanced battery maker.
"We're pleased the government has completed its review and provided us with the go-ahead to finalize this transaction,'' Pin Ni, president of Wanxiang America, said in a statement. "The future is bright for A123. It is a company with exceptional talent and potential, and Wanxiang America is committed to its long-term success and the continuance of its US operations.''
A CFIUS representative declined to comment, saying that by law the panel does not disclose details about the transactions it reviews
The acquisition has been controversial because US taxpayers provided tens of millions of dollars that supported the commercialization of A123's technology with the construction of two manufacturing plants in Michigan.
Critics said the acquisition would put sensitive technology in the hands of the Chinese government.
"This disappointing decision represents a 180-degree reversal by the Obama administration in just eight days, from the president's inaugural pledge to no longer 'cede to other nations' critical energy technology,'' said Dean Popps, cochairman of the Strategic Materials Advisory Council, a coalition of former military leaders and industry experts opposed to A123's sale to Wanxiang. "His administration has just allowed China to leapfrog the world in advanced batteries at the expense of American taxpayers.''
With the deal's closing, A123's longtime chief executive Dave Vieau said he will leave the company to pursue other interests. Ni praised Vieau for his work at A123
"Wanxiang America will continue to foster the technologies A123 has worked so hard to develop,'' Ni said.
In addition to having its headquarters here, A123 conducts research and development and manufactures enormous batteries for use on electric grids in Massachusetts.
Wanxiang has operated in the United States for about two decades, acquiring several US companies over the years and expanding them.
Its growing presence in the alternative energy business includes a large stake in GreatPoint Energy in Cambridge.
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text: Mikael Manvelyan is a composer and multi-instrumentalist. He has been composing production music for over 10 years in many musical genres. From Dramatic and Orchestral scores, to Pop, Rock, Electronic, Corporate, Jazz and World tracks. Mikael's diverse compositions work well for almost any production, including Online Media, TV, Film, New Apps and Commercials. Many years of professional broadcasting experience giving him a better understanding of how to craft music that will sit perfectly on a wide range of production mediums.

subset: commoncrawl


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MBRP Turndown Exhaust Tip
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- The MBRP Turndown Exhaust Tip adds a classic look to beefy diesel exhaust systems
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Take classic exhaust tip style to bigger and bolder heights. The MBRP Turndown Exhaust Tip boasts a beefed up design that's perfect for big diesel exhausts. It has a stunning mirror-polished finish as well as a unique mounting design.
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Product Description
This 7075 aluminum conversion plate will adapt the factory 2008-2013 Nissan GT-R 6-Bolt Differential Flange to 108MM CV (Rear). This is the same adapter plate as can be found on our line of pro-series axles for these vehicles. They are precision machined on centers to maintain perfect centerline and will fit onto the factory differential flanges. Includes all necessary hardware to mount the adapter.
Warranty: 1 year| Special Notes: ALUMINUM
Warranty: 1 year| Special Notes: ALUMINUM


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The Beginnings of The Silk Road
What is the Silk Road?
The Silk Road is a series of trade routes linking China to the Mediterranean. For a long time, each route was separate, and the travellers of the Silk Road would not advance beyond their particular point. It was given its name in 1877 by the German Geographer Ferdinand von Richthofen due to the fact that silk was the major product traded on this route.
It is well known that Ancient China produced many significant inventions including paper, the printing technique, gunpowder, compasses and silk. These inventions, in time, would move to other civilizations, helping to shape the world as we know it; and they would all travel via the Silk Road.
The Emperor and the Explorer
Emperor Wudi of the Hans Dynasty was one of the most famous rulers of Ancient China. He became Emperor at the age of 15 and would rule with success for 54 years (the third longest reign of all the Chinese Emperors). As well as expanding his Empire considerably, Emperor Wudi took a strong stand against the Huns- fierce nomadic horsemen who constantly invaded the frontiers of China. Wudis predecessor had attempted to appease the Huns by sending Chinese Princesses north for them to marry. Wudi ended this policy and declared the Huns as his enemy.
In 139 BC he sent the envoy and explorer Zhang Qian (pronounced JANG-CHYEN) on a diplomatic mission to the Western regions of China. The Emperor wanted Zhang to form an alliance with the Da Yuezhi tribe in order to combat their common enemy the Huns.
During the journey Zhang managed to get taken hostage twice, only to arrive in the city after 10 years and have his offer rejected by the people of Da Yuezhi. On the bright side, Zhang gained a great deal of knowledge from his travels, including information that helped the Hans Dynasty defeat the Huns in three wars between 127 BC and 119BC. This cleared the road between China and the Western countries, making it safer for merchants to travel with their luxury items.
Zhang Qians exploration of the Western regions of China greatly contributed to opening up the first leg of what would become the Silk Road.


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Get back to basics with this superb traditional cup from the Western Ghats of Southern India. This organically grown tea comes from gardens tucked deep within one of the most biodiverse ecosystems in the world that produce some of the planet's purest tea. We offer it unblended to let its brisk, bright character shine through and invigorate.
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EWS 2017 - Round 8 - The Finale at Finale
With a six week break under their belt and the final race of the season in sight, Iago, Josh "Ratboy" Bryceland, and Mark Scott headed to Finale, Italy. Finale is a small Italian village right on the Ligurian Sea and it's by far one of the top five mountain bike locations in Europe. It's the perfect place for the world's best riders to battle the terrain and each other for the last race of the season.
Finale is the ultimate test of riders and their equipment; technical sections are littered with sharp, nasty rock gardens and both the timed stages and liaisons are physical tests. Off the track, the pits are set directly on the beach and the accommodations are in a village where the local community welcomes racers with open arms. This is the dream location for any race, and as soon as we arrived it was clear why this has been the final race of the Enduro World Series season four years in a row.
Practice runs kicked off a shortly after arrival and training went smooth for the crew. To preserve the tracks only one practice run was allowed for each of the seven stages. With 500 riders queued up to practice or race, the adjusted practice format relaxes the schedule and reduces the impact on the terrain, so it was something we could get behind. Between the shuttle outfits, bike shops, and restaurants that cater to the MTB clientele, there's a ton of local economy that relies on the trails (and the health of these trails). Props to the race organizers for taking this into account.
Throughout the week there was a race within the race amongst the Santa Cruz team—a crew that had grown by race day to include Steve Peat, Greg Minnaar, Luca Shaw, and Loris Vergier. At the previous EWS round at Whistler, Rat and Iago battled the whole day only to finish half a second apart—this time around Rat was focused and on a mission to even the score. The two traded stage wins over both days of riding and with each of them giving it their all, it was nearly impossible to predict how it would end. After 52 total minutes of racing, Iago managed to edge out Ratty on the final stage, taking the win of the race within the race and leaving Rat hungry to continue the battle next season. Watching the friendly battle and the comradery was a treat to say the least.
Mark was on a high after leaving Whistler with a third place finish and the first podium of his young career. It kick started a mission to train hard for the six weeks before arriving in Italy, and despite raining for more than half of the time he was home, it didn't stop him from getting out and doing the work he needed to. He rolled into Finale feeling strong and when the clock started, he was ready.
Stage after stage, Mark layed down clean runs but the times just weren't there. I suspect that the eight month season and the last six weeks of training all had take their toll. Mark is never one to make excuses or throw in the towel. He absolutely left it all on the track in Finale and ultimately ended up with a respectable 20th overall on the week and 9th on the season. Our goal at the end of 2016 was to finish 2017 in the top ten and for next season we're aiming for the top five in the overall. Mark is more than capable, we can't be more stoked about how his racing has progressed, and I can't wait to be a part of getting him there.
The 2017 season was full of ups and downs. So much can happen on each stage, at each race, and throughout the season. It's an accomplishment in its own to stay healthy and finish all the stages every race and all the Santa Cruz riders finished every stage all season. I tip my hat to that.
Huge thanks to the people that make racing possible for us. We couldn't do this without support from SRAM, Rockshox, Maxxis, Industry Nine, e*thirteen, and Fabric. Prep for the 2018 season starts in a month. Expect to see us up front next year. - AC


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Lapis Arm Chair
Furniture Design Focus: Lapis Arm Chair
A Good Furniture design example, the Lapis is a creative Arm Chair design. Lapis was designed in 2009, and here is a how it is described by its designer: An elegant chair to fill in the happy home spaces! You can lean backwards without fearing to fall, this chair is so comfortable that it redefines your feeling of comfort, you will never sit on another chair after this one!. I would also like to note that this is a re-interpretation of the Chinese Ming chair, we wanted to carry the traditional Chinese chair to the modern era and give it a new look and feeling. The initial inspiration comes from the Horseshoe chair, I wanted to turn this design into something that gives the feeling of strength and elegance at the same time, also I had opportunity to analyze leg structure of modern European furniture, this way I changed the legs of Ming to be somehow more modern, the structure is built upon a steel skeleton which is covered with real leather.
Lapis Arm Chair Images:
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Africa probably boast the most advanced, oldest and most successful examples of mobile banking solutions on the planet today. It is not difficult to understand why, as this is also one of the fastest growing markets for mobile telephony in the world.
The Celpay deployment in Zambia was one of the first mobile payment solution deployed and is still operational today. This implementation currently manages about 2% of Zambia's GNP on mobile payments. I am not aware of any other mobile payment solution that can make the same claim. One of the other Celpay deployments (in the DRC - a country as large as most of Europe and with a population of more than 120 million people) runs roughly five million mobile payment transactions a month.
Other solutions (like the m-Pesa deployment) is often quoted by Vodafone as THE Vodafone mobile payment reference. This solution runs on the Vodafone network in Kenya (Safaricom) and boasts advanced cash management capabilities. Wizzit (an innovative mobile banking deployment for the under-banked) is often quoted as an example of empowerment of under-banked and the creation of jobs.
In a country like Nigeria (one of the most oil-rich countries in the world) one finds many advanced mobile banking and payment solutions - supported by advanced central bank regulations. Deployments like eTranzact, Flash-me-Cash and mobile banking provided by the central switch (Interswitch) must definitely be rated as some of the most advanced deployments in the world, with a large take-up and growing.
Every bank in South Africa have deployed advanced mobile banking and payment solutions. This market is currently growing at the rate of more than thirty-five thousand subscribers per month. The mobile banking market have grown to one million subscribers in just over two years. Few countries can claim this achievement. The MTN banking deployment in South Africa (an innovative product supported by MTN - the largest operator in Africa and Standard Bank - the largest bank in Africa) features advanced and unique characteristics (like a banking starter pack and "pay-as-you-go" banking to name a few).
It is no doubt that Africa is one of the leaders in mobile banking with advanced solutions and successful references.


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|Actors playing police aim at caged youths in theatre on Plaza Bolivar.
Disappearance was used most notoriously by the dictatorships in Chile and Argentina to rid themselves of their murdered political enemies. Some victims were buried in mass graves or thrown from airplanes into the sea.
|Lighting a candle to the disappeared.
Police violence has made headlines recently because of the fatal police shooting of a young graffiti artist.
|Police frisk and search youths near La Plaza del Chorro, in La Candelaria.
A flyer handed out at the event informs young men about their rights relative to Colombia's obligatory military service. According to the flyer, a United Nations working group has described mass round-ups of young men as 'arbitrary detentions.'
Scenes from the play and memorial:
By Mike Ceaser, of Bogotá Bike Tours


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I am a total beach bum. Summer is my paradise, but with winter comes my hibernation (until the alarm goes off at 3:15 am Monday through Friday). I was born and raised on the radio. My fondest memories are going to work with my Dad at Y-96FM in Norfolk, VA. Years later, a friend and I thought it would be funny to have a show on our college radio station at Johnson University in Knoxville, TN. That 'joke' led me to my first radio job at 100.3 'The River'. In Knoxville, I also worked at WIVK, and at WNML. I eventually said good-bye to 'Good ol' Rocky Top', and moved to Charlottesville, VA to work at WCYK. I am honored to wake South Jersey up on SoJO 104.9, and wouldn't have it any other way! So, if you're in Atlantic City on a Saturday night, chances are you'll probably run into Tom at The Irish Pub and/or roaming the boardwalk.
Tom Morgan
A Hot Dog Dessert? It's On The Menu In Cherry Hill!
It's called the 'Gadzooks Dessert Dog', and it's found at the Cool Dog Cafe in Cherry Hill! Wanna know what's in it?


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Avery Warley (right), pictured here with Phoenix Mercury Head Coach Corey Gaines, will make her WNBA debut with the Mercury Sunday at 12:30 p.m., when Phoenix plays at Minnesota. The game will be televised live by ABC. (Photo courtesy of the Phoenix Mercury)
Not only is she celebrating her 25th birthday today, but Liberty graduate Avery Warley has another important reason to rejoice. She will open the 2012 WNBA season this weekend as an official member of the Phoenix Mercury's 11-player roster. Warley will be in her familiar No. 23 uniform when the Mercury tip off their 2012 campaign Sunday at 12:30 p.m. against the Minnesota Lynx. The rematch of the 2011 WNBA Western Conference Finals will be televised live by ABC. Warley becomes the third Liberty graduate to play in the WNBA and the first to play for the Mercury. Katie (Feenstra) Mattera played in the league for five seasons (2005-09), and Megan Frazee spent two years (2009-10) with the San Antonio Silver Stars. Warley signed a free agent contract with the Mercury on April 26 and quickly began to impress head coach Corey Gaines and his staff with her rebounding ability. During a 102-73 exhibition victory over the Japanese National Team on May 8, Warley tallied eight points and 13 rebounds. One of two rookies on the 2012 Phoenix Mercury roster, Warley joins the team's first round draft pick, point guard Samantha Prahalis from Ohio State. They will be part of a Mercury team, led by former Connecticut standout Diana Taurasi, which captured WNBA titles in 2007 and 2009. Warley and Prahalis will make their home debut at the US Airways Center on May 26, when the Mercury host the Los Angeles Sparks at 10 p.m. Eastern. Warley will also look forward to her team's July 1 contest. That day, the Mercury will visit Warley's hometown of Washington, D.C., for a 4 p.m. tilt against the Washington Mystics. Warley finished her four years with the Lady Flames as the leading rebounder in program and Big South Conference history, with 1,282 boards. She also finished No. 1 in Liberty history for games played (132), No. 3 for both blocked shots (166) and double-doubles (47) and No. 5 for points (1,453). Warley was a three-time first team All-Big South selection and was named MVP of the 2012 Big South Championship. She helped the Lady Flames capture the Big South Championship title and advance to the NCAA Division I Women's Basketball Championship three times (2009, 2010 and 2012).
2012 Phoenix Mercury 11-Player Roster DeWanna Bonner, G/F, 6-4, Auburn Candice Dupree, F, 6-2, Temple Alexis Gray-Lawson, G, 5-8, California Alexis Hornbuckle, G, 5-10, Tennessee Charde Houston, F, 6-0, Connecticut Samantha Prahalis, G, 5-7, Ohio State Nakia Sanford, F/C, 6-4, Kansas Diana Taurasi, G, 6-0, Connecticut Penny Taylor, F, 6-1, Australia Zane Tamane, C, 6-7, Latvia Avery Warley, C, 6-3, Liberty
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Prime Minister David Cameron has at last announced the Coalition government's plan for sorting out the Ministry of Defence's finances.
The RAF's deep-penetration bomber force will be preserved, and much of the Royal Navy's frigate and destroyer fleet: the cost of this is that there will be no jets able to fly from Royal Navy carriers for several years. However Mr Cameron pledged that the Navy will have one carrier always operational carrying a force of F-35C strike fighters in years to come.
The other major point in the plans is a postponement of Trident's replacement. This would normally be expected to cost some billions more over time due to increased running costs and inflated replacement costs, but Cameron expects to mitigate these factors by shaving the number of weapons carried by the subs. The successors to today's Vanguard class will be able to launch 40 nuclear warheads each rather than 48.
As had been widely expected, both the new carriers for the navy will be built, the Labour government having willingly locked itself into a binding contract that would have made it more expensive to cancel the ships than build them. However there will be no jets to operate from the first ship, HMS Queen Elizabeth. Today's Harrier jumpjets and the pocket-size Ark Royal from which they operate will be scrapped immediately. The Harrier is the UK's only dedicated battlefield support jet in RAF service, and the navy's only plane of any kind - in particular its only fleet fighter*.
According to Mr Cameron the Royal Navy will acquire catapult and arrester machinery to allow conventional tailhook planes to fly from the carriers rather than expensive jumpjets. He said that this machinery will be "fitted to the operational carrier", rather implying that there will be only one set of kit. The other ship will kept at "extended readiness" - ie in mothballs, without a crew or any aircraft.
F-35C tailhook stealth fighters will be bought in coming years in such numbers that, according to Mr Cameron, they will not only furnish the airgroup for the running carrier but will also be the main partner for the RAF's Eurofighter fleet by 2020. The UK's plans to buy more complex and expensive F-35B jumpjets will be cancelled.
Meanwhile the scrapping of the Harriers, Ark Royal, several frigates and a biggish chunk of the Army's armour has allowed the RAF to survive effectively untouched. Corporately the air service didn't like the Harriers, planes which work for the Army or the Navy. The airmen will feel some pain with the loss of the horrifically expensive Nimrod MRA4 maritime patrol planes, also confirmed today, but again that was a type of aircraft which mainly helped the other services rather than bigging up the idea of Air Power.
The RAF's small fleets of transport aircraft and helicopters will of course survive and even be enlarged somewhat - they are vital to the war in Afghanistan. The brand-new Eurofighter Typhoon jet, still being delivered, is also preserved, though there will be no further UK orders.
More controversially, all these cuts will permit the RAF's force of Tornado GR4 bombers to survive. The Tornado, though it is doing battlefield support duties in Afghanistan now, is primarily a "deep strike" plane intended to penetrate enemy air defences and bomb targets far away from any friendly ground troops.
Deep strategic bombing is the reason the RAF was created, and it is central to the justification for an independent air force; the Tornado fleet is the cultural heart of today's RAF and the Junior Service will be rejoicing at its preservation. However, this jubilation may be somewhat diminished by Mr Cameron's suggestion that by 2020 the Tornado will be largely replaced by F-35C carrier-capable planes, some of them presumably navy-manned.
We'll offer detailed comment/analysis on all this once we've had a chance to chew through the accompanying documents. In summary, we here on the Reg defence desk see it as overall a huge victory for the RAF, with worrying times ahead for the Royal Navy - which must now weather at least one more election and five-yearly review before getting its single running carrier capability, without any existing community of naval aviators to carry the torch. ®
*The former Sea Harrier was arguably the UK's best fighter until the introduction of the Eurofighter, but it was retired as it was of little use at sea in hot climates: losing thrust as air temperatures increased it would struggle to make a vertical deck landing still carrying heavy AMRAAM missiles.
Today's GR9 Harriers, operated by Navy and RAF squadrons, are primarily ground-attack planes. However they can carry Sidewinder missiles and therefore offer useful air cover to a fleet despite the lack of a fighter radar. (One should remember that the Harriers which did so well above the Falklands had only Sidewinders.)


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Tuesday, September 16, 2008
Waiting for baseball...meaningful or otherwise
You might think that it's a good thing to have a day or so to sit back and reassess what's happening with the franchise, what with the crazy few weeks we've had: No meaningful games in September! Win streaks! Sweeps! Double headers! Wait a second...Meaningful games in September! And now, the crazy ride is coming to an abrupt end. We're dizzy.
The worst thing, though, about an off day in September is that it reminds us of how much we're going to miss baseball in the offseason. We're thinking of six months without a pitch thrown in anger, and frankly, it depresses the hell out of us.
All we can say is: You'd better appreciate these last few weeks, because you're about to spend a piss-freezing cold winter missing Kevin Mench.
6 comments:
- Navin Vaswani (@eyebleaf) said...
i'm really gonna miss baseball this winter, too. it's been a fun season, with some serious ups and (scott) downs.
but we have the off-season to look forward to - AJ? a big bat? another pitcher?
ah, mencherson. good people.
- September 16, 2008 at 12:41 PM
I hear ya, Tao. The offseason's coming a little too quickly for my liking. I won't be missing Kevin Mench though...well maybe just a little.
At least the winter should be fun. If JP loses his job, then maybe there will be some big changes, which is always interesting. If he keeps his job, even if he doesn't do anything "big" in terms of player movement, we can still count on a few wacky JP quotes to keep us talking.
There's also the inevitable "JP preventing Scott Richmond from pitching in the WBC because JP hates Canada" fallout to look forward to. Good times, good times.
- September 16, 2008 at 12:42 PM
- Tao of Stieb said...
Wow. What will Canada do without Scott Richmond in the WBC?
If we lose, it will definitely be J.P.'s fault. Because he doesn't live in Toronto. And doesn't share his cell phone number. Bastard.
- September 16, 2008 at 12:47 PM
- MK Piatkowski said...
I too was thinking about how much I'm going to miss baseball. On the plus side, I'll actually get work done rather than wasting hours online reading blogs and stats.
Going to the game on Saturday. Will be really sad when it's done.
- September 16, 2008 at 4:23 PM
I was just wondering if it was worth mentioning that the Jays are 6th in the ESPN power rankings....we don't deserve to be in anyway....we were horrible against both AL East teams ahead of us. But look at all these miserable teams that are supposedly worse off then us!!! We can hypothesize how much better we would have done without having to prove anything!
Side note....WE HAVE TO MAKE THE POST SEASON BEFORE THE DOC LEAVES!
- September 16, 2008 at 6:19 PM
- MK Piatkowski said...
Up until this past weekend, didn't we have a winning record against the Sox?
- September 17, 2008 at 1:09 AM


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Ty Romney is an attorney handling property and liability claims for State Farm Mutual in Great Falls, Montana and received his Bachelors of Arts Degree from the University of Utah and his Juris Doctorate Degree from Seattle University School of Law. He is an active member of the Idaho State Bar Association.
Ty said, "Ron Paul is honest. It's time to take a stand for honesty. It doesn't matter whether the truth is popular or not, I know that Ron Paul will always maintain a true principle and I endorse that degree of integrity."
Travis Romney is a chiropractor based in Spokane, Washington, and will be speaking at the Greyhound Park caucus location in Kootenai County. With his dad a second cousin to Mitt Romney, Travis is a second cousin once removed.
"I support Ron Paul because he defends the Constitution, loves America and understands what it means to be an American, including the right to live your life any way you want as long as you respect others," said Travis. He continued, "I love his foreign policy of maintaining peace and trade while making a strong national defense a top priority, and that you only go to war legally through a declaration by the people through their elected representatives."
Also sharing common ancestry, Chad Romney resides in the Boise area and will be speaking at the Glenns Ferry caucus location in Elmore County.
Jared Romney, out of Salt Lake City, said his grandfather is a first cousin with former Michigan Governor George Romney, the father of Mitt Romney, and stated, "It really comes down to Ron Paul championing the ideas of the Constitution, in how he lives it, understanding we must return to and follow its guiding principles. He also understands we must reign in the Federal ReserveSystem which is destroying our economy."
Troy Romney also lives in Salt Lake City and is a University of Utah student, and will be speaking at the Montpelier caucus location in Bear Lake County. Troy's grandfather and George Romney are cousins as well. Troy said he supports Ron Paul because "he stands for the values and principles America was founded upon."
These family member endorsements are preceded by an announcement of support for Ron Paul by Rick Santorum's nephew, John Garver.
Concerning the active "Latter-day Saints for Ron Paul" coalition, this announcement follows the high-profile endorsements of Overstock.com President Jonathan Johnson, prominent author and chair of the Utah Tenth Amendment Center Connor Boyack, and that of Utah Republican Liberty Caucus Chair Darcy Van Orden.
All such announcements help present Ron Paul as the conservative alternative to Mitt Romney and demonstrate that no presidential candidate has a monopoly on this crucial western states voter segment or even, for that matter, the Romney family.
As a function of this announcement, the above-mentioned persons now are members of the "Latter-day Saints for Ron Paul" nationwide coalition.


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Yolo CountyHome Sitemap Contact
Assessment Appeals
The annual assessment appeal filing period for the 2020-2021 fiscal year is now open from July 2, 2020 through November 30, 2020. Current property values can be found at www.yolocounty.org > General Government > Assessor.
Assessment Appeal Application (See links below for resources to assist in filing an appeal)
Applications must be submitted by mail or in person, as we cannot accept faxed or scanned applications.
Note: Effective July 2, 2011, a non-refundable filing fee of $45 for each application will be charged and must be included at the time of filing the application for changed assessment. (See below for more information) (Please note: One check can be written to cover multiple appeals filed)
The Board of Supervisors of each California county serve as local representatives of the California State Board of Equalization and are tasked to ensure the equitable valuation and taxation of property within their county. The assessed value of property is determined by the Assessor and forms the basis upon which property tax is calculated and collected by the Treasurer-Tax Collector.
Initially, when a property owner believes the assessed value of their property, as determined by the Assessor, is incorrect, they should contact the Assessor's Office to discuss the matter. The Assessor can receive and provide information about the property value, explain the valuation process and/or reassess the property. If a difference of opinion of value still exists, the property owner can file an "Assessment Appeal" to dispute the value assigned by the County to real (land and structures) and/or personal (business fixtures, boats, planes, etc.) property. In general, property owners appeal in order to have their property values decreased and, during the appeal hearing, the property owner can present evidence to support the appeal.
The Yolo County Board of Supervisors appoints "Assessment Appeals Board" members to arbitrate disputes regarding the assessed value of property. These appointees must have experience in the fields of real estate, property appraisal, accounting, or law. After consideration of the evidence presented, the Assessment Appeals Board may determine that the property value should be decreased, increased or remain the same. If the property value is increased or decreased, the property owner will have a corresponding adjustment in taxes to be paid on the property.
Application Processing Fee
Effective July 2, 2011, a non-refundable filing fee of $45 for EACH application/parcel will be charged and must be included at the time of filing the Application. Payments accepted by check, money order or cash in person. Please note that we can accept one check to cover multiple appeals filed. Make checks or money orders payable to: County of Yolo. If your check is returned due to insufficient funds, a returned check fee in the amount of $25 will be charged. Applications submitted without the fee will not be processed.
If you are receiving public assistance and/or do not have enough income to pay for your household's basic needs and cannot afford the processing fee, a "confidential Request for Waiver of Assessment Appeal Administrative Process Fee' form at the following link to enable you to request waiver of the fee. If requesting a waiver of the processing fee, the waiver request form must accompany your Application for Changed Assessment (assessment appeal) in lieu of the processing fee.
For those who need the W-9 Form to set up payment, please find it here.
Return Application by the Deadline
Applications for changed assessments for the regular assessment period must be filed between July 2 and November 30 (unless the last day falls on a weekend) of each year by 5:00 p.m. Assessment changes made outside of the regular assessment period; i.e. supplemental, roll change, escape, must be filed no later than 60 days after the date of the notice. Applications cannot be accepted unless filed on time.
IMPORTANT NOTE: It is very important to understand that filing an assessment appeal does not relieve an owner of the responsibility for paying an outstanding tax bill no matter how unfair the owner may feel a bill might be. If you do not pay the bill in a timely manner, you will incur penalties and interest charges that could otherwise be avoided. If you pay a bill and subsequently the Appeals Board lowers the value, you will be refunded any excess taxes you've paid.
Revocation or Substitution of Agent or Attorney
2020 Assessment Appeals Meeting Schedule
2021 Assessment Appeals Meeting Schedule
For additional information to assist you in the appeals process, please refer to the following resources produced by the State Board of Equalization:
Residential Property Assessment Appeals: How to appeal the assessed value of residential properties - a guide for California property owners
Property Tax Rules
Online video on preparing and presenting your Assessment Appeal:


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President Donald Trump wants the federal government to "buy America", but does his D.C. hotel follow that directive?
WUSA9 discovered that while the Trump International Hotel on Pennsylvania Avenue is draped in old glory, it is also wrapped in contradictions.
The four-story American flag in the lobby towers over Swarovski chandeliers made in Austria.
Lamps lining the hallway are from China. Small decorative boxes on the coffee tables marked with stickers that read "Made in India."
The discoveries are seemingly at odds with the "Buy American And Hire American" Executive Order the President issued on April 18, 2017.
In a speech that same day in Wisconsin, President Trump said he wanted the federal government to "minimize the use of waivers and to maximize made in America content in all federal projects."
"With this order I am directing every single agency in our government to strictly uphold our buy American laws," Trump said.
However, after WUSA9 paid to rent out one of the $800 a night rooms in the President's DC hotel, it became clear his business didn't seem to be maximizing made in America products.
There were phones from Malaysia. A TV from South Korea. A tray from the UK.
The towels were from India. Soaps and shampoos from Canada. The robe was made in China.
The dishes were from Germany. The glasses from Italy. The sheets and comforter were also made in Italy, although the Sterns and Foster mattress was American made, as were the pillows.
Other American made products used by the Trump Hotel in its rooms include the bible, clock, and even some of the big-ticket items like high-end bathroom fixtures and furniture.
In all, 21 of the 31 products the WUSA9 could identify came from outside the US. Here's a complete list:
- Lamps (China)
- Glasses (Italy)
- Phones (Malaysia)
- Remote control (China)
- TV (South Korea)
- Soaps and shampoos (Canada)
- Towels (India)
- Scale (China)
- Hair dryer (China)
- Sheets (Italy)
- Tissue container (UK)
- Umbrella (China)
- Robe (China)
- Tray (UK)
- Ice bucket (UK)
- Dishes (Germany)
- Sheets (Italy)
- Glasses (Italy)
- Chandeliers (Austria)
- Furniture (US)
- Mattress (US)
- Pillows (US)
- Bible (US)
- Clock (US)
- Trash Can (US)
That's not the only place where you will find foreign goods on Trump soil.
Import Genius, a company that tracks US imports and exports, says since 2015 Trump properties have imported goods from countries around the globe.
Import Genius's CEO, Michael Kanko, said that's quite common in the hotel industry.
"So if his competitors are importing products and bringing costs down, it doesn't leave his organization much choice," Kanko said.
"It would be hard for him to be competitive and not deal with global trade."
At the request of WUSA9, Import Genius researched the imports of other hotel chains and found a wide array of products that come from overseas.
Choice Hotels
- Choice Hotels purchases their Towels from 1888 Mills, who imports from Mitali Textile in Bangladesh
- Comfort Inn imports furnishings (vanity, cabinets, furniture) from China
- Quality Inn imports furnishings (Cabinets, Fans, Curtains, Tables, etc) from China
- Clarion Hotel imports lighting fixtures from China
- Econolodge imports hotel amenities (shampoo, lotion, soap) from China
- Rodeway Inn imports furniture from China & India
Starwood Hotels
- Sheraton purchases their furniture from Shenzhen New World LLC, who imports from Xiamen Yongquan SCI Tech in China
- Le Meridien Hotel imports Linens and Furniture from China and Brazil
Caesar's Entertainment
- Caesars Entertainment & Caesar's Palace imports Novelty Goods & furniture from China, Taiwan, and Hong Kong
- Harrahs purchases lighting fixtures through Sesco Lighting who imports from China
- Planet Hollywood imports novelty items & toiletries from Hong Kong and Taiwan
MGM Resorts International
- MGM Resorts imports Furniture, Novelty Goods, Lighting Fixtures, etc from Hong Kong, Great Britain, Spain, etc
- Aria Hotel imports dinnerware from China
- The Bellagio imports amenities & furniture from Italy, Hong Kong, China, and Taiwan
- MGM Grand imports playing cards from Japan
- Mandalay Bay imports playing cards & exhibition goods from Hong Kong & Italy
- Monte Carlo imports novelty goods from Hong Kong
- Circus Circus imports toys from China & Hong Kong
Miscellaneous Hotels
- The Venetian imports Lighting Fixtures & Furniture from China & Indonesia
Patricia Tang, a spokesperson for the Trump Hotel, said the use of foreign-made products was strictly a business decision.
"Trump Hotels has nothing to do with the White House administration," Tang said. "We function like any other hotel."
WUSA9 reached out to the White House Press Office for comment multiple times but did not get a response. The WUSA9Special Assignment Unit also asked every Republican congressman in Virginia and Maryland to weigh in, but all of them declined to comment.
Senator Tim Kaine (D-Va.), called the use of foreign goods and services in Trump Hotels "hypocritical."
"If the president really supported buy America, that's what he would do with his own businesses," Senator Kaine said.


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CANCELED DUE TO THE WEATHER! February 6: Art Unveiling Reception & Month-long Art Show
Because of this afternoon/evening's snow threat, we are canceling the LO Reads Art Unveiling Reception at Graham's Stationery & Chrisman's scheduled for tonight. However, when the weather cooperates, please come enjoy the art which will remain on display through February! (Chrisman's 10-6 Mon-Sat, Grahams 9-6 Mon-Sat, 12-5 Sun)
Thank you for your continuing support of the arts,
Teri & Paul Graham
Thursday, February 6, 6:00 - 7:30 pm at Graham's Book & Stationery, 460 2nd Street. Also see the Lake Oswego High School and Lakeridge High School student art and ceramics show at Chrisman Picture Frame & Gallery, 480 2nd Street. Come see the unveiling of interpretations of William Stafford's stirring poetry by 18 talented artists at Graham's Book & Stationery. Their masterpieces are based on Stafford's book, Stories That Could Be True, a collection that includes both his early works and some of his last poems. Following the unveiling, stroll to the Lake Oswego High School and Lakeridge High School student art and ceramics show at Chrisman Picture Frame & Gallery. Meet the artists and Kim Stafford and enjoy complimentary refreshments. The artists include: Angelina Woolley, Ann Munson, Beth Verheyden, Bill Baily, Dave Haslett, Dyanne Locati, Gerry Foote, Jan Rimerman, Jani Hoberg, Kara Pilcher, Lisa Finch-Wiser, Mary Burgess, Sally Bills Bailey, Sonja Donnelly, Sue Jensen, Susan Greenbaum and Susie Cowan. The art will be on display and for sale through February.


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Residue Reed - Young, Rich, Famous [Unsigned Hype]
Hailing from the West-Side of town, Residue Reed is
well known across CHICAGO as one of the cities elite
rappers. Check out his latest single "YOUNG, RICH,
FAMOUS", as he shows the world that Young, Rich Famous
isn't just a song but a way of life!
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reverbnation: Residue Reed Facebook: http://www.facebook.com/profile.php? id=100000532472183&ref=ts
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Day 179 without playing golf
Having lived in Seattle for 16 years, I know a bit about native son Fred Couples.
Couples grew up in the Beacon Hill neighborhood of Seattle. Fred was no rich kid, far from it. His family was working class and lived either on or near Jefferson Park, a municipal golf course.
Couples honed his game on the city track, which I've played on a number of occasions with my brother-in-law. We used to play Jefferson after work until dark. Seattle is far enough north that you have light until almost 10 o'clock in the summertime.
Jefferson is a par 70, and I can only imagine that Boom-Boom must have shot dozens of rounds in the mid to low 60s (and probably some in the 50s).
Legend has it that Freddy could shape any shot and learned the game without formal lessons. No surprise there. Who could teach such an unorthodox, graceful, powerful move?
A good friend of mine who played golf at University of Washington competed against Couples at least once when Fred was at the University of Houston.
No big news flash, but my friend told me that Freddy was the most talented golfer he ever played against. Even though Couples was low-key, his length and shot making were downright intimidating, my friend said.
Obviously, Freddy's extraordinary talent and feel age well as he still competes with the world's best at 46.
The Armchair Golfer
Wednesday, April 19
Personal Musings on Fred Couples
3 comments:
- MCPO Airdale said...
If I could maintain Freddie's tempo, I'd be King of the World!
Could be one of the all time frauds!!
Get an interview with the wife or one of the past girlfriends...
here there is a real story there~shocking and scandalous forget the great swing he's a very different and not nice at all!
oh yeah know all about his show
mean, mean mean and cheap
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City of Odessa, TexasHome PD Menu
News List
Safe Zones for the Week of 5-20-19
One of the goals of the Odessa Police Department is a motoring public, which is safe, courteous and accident free. In pursuit of this goal, the Department will periodically designate "Safe Zones" throughout the city. These "Safe Zones" are areas in which traffic enforcement will be increased in an effort to gain traffic law compliance.
Expect to see officers of the Odessa Police Department working these areas singly or in groups in an effort to gain compliance through education and enforcement. Officers working "Safe Zones" will be enforcing all traffic laws but will pay close attention to red light, seat belt, stop sign, speeding and other moving violations.
The "Safe Zones" we would like our motoring public to be aware of for next week are 31st & Maple and Bellaire & Dixie. The Odessa Police Department will also pay close attention to all school zones in the city limits.
Please take note of this "Safe Zone" and remind your family and friends we will be taking enforcement action in this area next week. By working together and obeying the law, perhaps we can reduce traffic crashes, injuries and most importantly fatalities by making our streets a safer place on which to drive on.


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Previous Lecture
Complete and continue
Healing through Ayurveda and the Chakra System
What is Ayurveda
What is Ayurveda Notes
What is Ayurveda Audio
What are the Chakras?
What are the Chakras Notes
What are the Chakras Audio
How are Ayurveda and the Chakras Interconnected?
How are Ayurveda and the Chakras Interconnected Notes
How are Ayurveda and the Chakras Interconnected Audio
Root (Muladhara) Chakra
Root Chakra Notes
Root Chakra Audio 1
Root Chakra Audio 2
Root Chakra Audio 3
Root Chakra Audio 4
Sacral (Swadistana) Chakra
The Sacral Chakra Notes
Sacral Chakra Audio 1
Sacral Chakra Audio 2
Sacral Chakra Audio 3
Sacral Chakra Audio 4
Solar Plexus (Manipura) Chakra
The Solar Plexus Chakra Notes
Solar Plexus Chakra Audio 1
Solar Plexus Chakra Audio 2
Solar Plexus Chakra Audio 3
Heart (Anahata) Chakra
The Heart Chakra Notes
Heart Chakra Audio 1
Heart Chakra Audio 2
Heart Chakra Audio 3
Throat (Vishuddha) Chakra
The Throat Chakra Notes
Throat Chakra Audio 1
Throat Chakra Audio 2
Throat Chakra Audio 3
Third-Eye (Ajna) Chakra
The Third-Eye Chakra Notes
Third-Eye Chakra Audio 1
Third-Eye Chakra Audio 2
Third-Eye Chakra Audio 3
Crown (Sahasara) Chakra
The Crown Chakra Notes
Crown Chakra Audio 1
Crown Chakra Audio 2
Crown Chakra Audio 3
How we create flow with these energies
How these energies create flow
Flow Images
Chakra Meditations
Root Chakra Meditation
Sacral Chakra Meditation
Solar Plexus Chakra Meditation
Heart Chakra Meditation
Throat Chakra Meditation
Third-Eye Chakra Meditation
Crown Chakra Meditation
Chakra Balancing Journal Prompts
Chakra Balancing Journal Prompts
Chakra Balancing Yoga Classes
Root Chakra Balancing Yoga Class (18:55)
Sacral Chakra Balancing Yoga Class (18:41)
Solar Plexus Balancing Yoga Class (16:32)
Heart Chakra Balancing Yoga Class (20:38)
Throat Chakra Balancing Yoga Class (20:01)
Third-Eye Chakra Balancing Yoga Class (21:08)
Crown Chakra Balancing Yoga Class (17:17)
Chakra Balancing Recipes
Chakra Balancing Recipes
Quick Reference Chakra Guide
Quick Reference Chakra Guide
Where to get your gemstones
Where to get your gemstones
Root Chakra Notes
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Mimi Plumb Chambers
(408) 924-4690
Master of Fine Arts, San Francisco Art Institute, CA
Mimi Plumb Chambers was born in Berkeley, California. She received her MFA in Photography in 1986 from the San Francisco Art Institute. For the past 20 years she has been on the photography faculty at San Jose State University, and has been a visiting artist and lecturer at the School of the Art Institute of Chicago, Stanford University, the San Francisco Art Institute and Santa Clara University.
Mimi's work is in the permanent collection of San Francisco Museum of Modern Art, the Houston Museum of Fine Art, and the Daum Museum of Contemporary Art. She has received grants and fellowships from the California Arts Council, the Marin Arts Council, and the Phelan Art Award in Photography. Her photographs of horses are currently represented by the Julie Nester Gallery in Park City. Utah, and the SFMOMA Artists Gallery in San Francisco. Other projects include photographing for the California State Department of Housing and the United Farmworkers Union.


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John Keats
John Keats (31 October 1795 – 23 February 1821 / London, England)
» Click to list general statistics » OR, select a date :
Ode To Fanny
Physician Nature! Let my spirit blood!
O ease my heart of verse and let me rest;
Throw me upon thy Tripod, till the flood
Of stifling numbers ebbs from my full breast.
read more >>
- Hits: Number of visitors who read the poem on the given date.
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- Dates that have "0" hits may not be shown on the list.
- Dates, poems and poets that have "0" hits may not be shown on the list. Statistics are generated daily.


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A quick trip to discover Jacksonville, Florida for a unique adventure Depending on exactly what you may seeking from a Florida vacation or fishing
A quick trip to discover Jacksonville, Florida for a unique adventure
Airborne Wireless Engages Investor Relations Firm CORE IR
Airborne Wireless Network (ABWN), the emerging growth company that is quite literally redefining global connectivity, announced this week that they have retained CORE IR as their Investor Relations firm of record.
Explore Florida!
When people think of vacation and the state of Florida, a high percentage of the time it is the beloved mouse with ears and his glittering "World" that pops into minds everywhere. Nothing against Mickey, of course, but Florida is chock full of other stunning locales, cool places, awesome learning experiences, top of the line hunting and fishing, and more. You name it, Florida has it!
A Colorado Summer: Hiking, Biking, Rafting, Oh My!
When it comes to choosing the ultimate summer vacation, Colorado stays atop most peoples' lists in 2018. Not a surprise, if you're one who loves spending time outside. There are a list of activities, events, attractions and so much more that you can choose from, but when it comes to the Great Outdoors, the hiking, biking, and rafting adventures in Colorado are truly "the best of the best."
D.C. On A Budget: Experience the Cool Capital
There are few locales in this great country where you can go, on a very limited budget, and still have a fantastic time. One of the most popular being our very own capital. Whether you are looking to indulge in food and wine or cultural events or have a ball walking the halls of a historical place, D.C. is the
The Branson Experience
Branson, Missouri grows by leaps and bounds every year, and has become one of the "top ten" most exciting places to vacation in the U.S. In fact, Branson is one place where you and your family can have an absolute ball any day of the year. Set against the beautiful Ozarks, you will not only be able
Family-Friendly Adventures Await You in "The Queen City"
Charlotte, North Carolina, is a city that knows how to play. Families love to discover a vacation spot that is not only fun for them, but will also have a never-ending supply of things to do when it comes to the kids. Charlotte is one place that guarantees you will all go back home when the trip is over wearing great big smiles and
The Beauty of Bozeman Calls to Tourists Everywhere
Whether you are a person who loves the Great Outdoors and wants to feel that "call of the wild," or you are one who wishes to dine out and then attend an amazing symphony, Bozeman, Montana is one location that has all those needs – and more – completely covered.
Budget Vacations Through History
One of the top things on anyone's vacation "to do" list comes in the form of seeing local attractions. In addition, many wish to see those historical sites that they've read about over the years but have yet to experience. Among the many upsides of America is the fact that a legion of popular sites can be seen for hardly any fee whatsoever.
How Can You Get More Boat for Less Money?
There is no better way to spend quality time than aboard a boat. Whether enjoying a secluded cove, socializing in a marina, or tying up alongside a waterfront restaurant, getting out on a boat takes you away from your everyday worries. Extended cruising is even more enjoyable. Exploring areas that can only be reached by boat, far from


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Relationships with
Photo Credit: Nancy Reagan's picture is courtesy of Reagan Library. Photographic illustrations of Nancy Reagan are copyright © by their respective holders. The images are published with permission or as allowed by the copyright law's fair use or quotation provisions. If any copyright holder objects to an image being included, please notify us and it will be removed immediately.
Disclaimer: This information about Nancy Reagan is derived from astrological interpretation of Nancy Reagan's date, time, and place of birth.


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Almost any kind of real estate — a primary residence, vacation home, farm, commercial building or an undeveloped parcel of land — can make a valuable gift to the Arthur A. Dugoni School of Dentistry. You can even contribute your residence now and still reside in it for life.
As with gifts of appreciated stocks, bonds, mutual funds and personal property, no capital gains tax is due when you donate appreciated real estate. You are entitled to an income tax deduction in the amount of the appreciated value of the real estate, and you avoid estate taxes on the appreciated asset. The dental school is willing to accept real estate that is:
Our staff can give you information about the options available when making a gift of real estate. For more information, please contact Kevin Wessler at 415.929.6406 or email@example.com.


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Inception and True Blood are Recipients of Screen Actors Guild's Honors for Film and Television Stunt Ensembles
Published by
Daniel Haim
The stunt performers and coordinators from "Inception" and "True Blood" are recipients of this year's Screen Actors Guild honors for Outstanding Performance by Film and Television Stunt Ensembles, it was announced today from the 17th Annual Screen Actors Guild Awards® red carpet by Screen Actors Guild Awards Committee Chair JoBeth Williams and Screen Actors Guild President Ken Howard. The announcement was made on the live SAG Awards® red carpet pre-show webcast on tnt.tv and tbs.com which streams until 8:00 p.m. (ET) / 5:00 p.m. (PT).
Screen Actors Guild Stunt Ensemble Honors commend work within the stunt community during 2010 and recognize stunt performers and coordinators. Nominees that were chosen by their respective SAG Awards® film and television nominating committees — each consisting of 2,100 SAG members from around the country, randomly selected anew each year — were announced on Dec. 16, 2010. Balloting procedures to choose the final recipients were sent to the nearly 100,000 eligible voting members of Screen Actors Guild on Dec. 30. Voting closed on Friday, Jan. 28 at noon PT. Results were sealed by the Guild's official election teller until Williams and Howard announced them on the SAG Awards red carpet. The recipients are:
Outstanding Performance by a Stunt Ensemble in a Motion Picture
INCEPTION (Warner Bros. Pictures)Danny Le Boyer
Andy Bradshaw
Richard L. Bucher
Allison Caetano
Bruce Cain
Tom Cohan
Eliza Coleman
George Cottie
Steve DeCastro
Jake Dewitt
Wade Eastwood
Rick English
Roel Filma
Mark Fichera
Marie Fink
Steve Griffin
Bobby Hanlon
Adam Hart
Logan Holladay
Sy Hollands
Gary Hoptrough
Jason Hunjan
Stephen Izzi
Terry Jackson
Ruth Jenkins
Luke Kearney
Jess King
Nito Larioza
Maurice Lee
Terry J. Leonard
James Lew
Michael Li
Diana R. Lupo
Rick Miller
Steve Oeding
Monte Perlin
Norbert Phillips
Andy Pilgrim
Mark Rayner
Rex J. Reddick
Simon Rhee
Tracey Rugglero
Brandon Sebek
Diz Sharpe
Gunther Simon
Paul Sklar
Marvin Stewart-Campbell
John Street
Tom Struthers
Melissa R. Stubbs
Mens-Sana Tamakloe
Philip Tan
Marlow Warrington-Mattei
Chrissy Weathersby
Jim Wilkey
Brent Woolsey
Harry Wowchuk
Richard Wu
Ryan Young
Outstanding Performance by a Stunt Ensemble in a Television Series
Nick Brandon
Charlie Brewer
Kevin Derr
Crystal Dyson
Mike Gains
Jack Gill
Jason Gray
Oliver Kelly
Mike Massa
Heidi Pascoe
Ben Scott
Matt Taylor
Mark Wagner


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Two senators looking into potential conflict of interests have sent inquiries to the Cardiovascular Research Foundation concerning its ties to device makers and drug producers.
WASHINGTON — Heart doctors and makers of medical devices meeting for their annual convention here got a sobering piece of news on Thursday — two senators are asking tough questions about financial ties between the doctors and the companies.
The two lawmakers, Charles E. Grassley, Republican of Iowa, and Herb Kohl, Democrat of Wisconsin, sent a letter asking the nonprofit group that sponsors the conference, the Cardiovascular Research Foundation, for information about its financial relationships with device manufacturers and drug producers.
The senators also sent a letter to Columbia University, which has an affiliation with the Cardiovascular Research Foundation. Two well-known researchers at Columbia, Dr. Martin B. Leon and Dr. Gregg W. Stone, are involved with the foundation; Dr. Leon is its former chairman and Dr. Stone its current one.
In a statement, the foundation said it would "comply fully" with the information request. "C.R.F. is committed to maintaining the highest standards of integrity in all of its research and educational activities and ensuring independence, objectivity and scientific rigor in all of its programs," the statement said.
According to the foundation's most recent tax filing on the Web site guidestar.org, it had revenue in 2005 of $47.2 million.
Columbia University Medical Center issued a statement saying it would respond to the request for information. "It is important to note that Columbia University and its Medical Center have conflict of interest policies and procedures in place, and we expect that they are followed by all members of the faculty," the statement said.
The manufacturers cited in the senators' letters are Abbott Laboratories, Medtronic, Boston Scientific, Johnson & Johnson and Medinol.
The annual conference here, known as Transcatheter Cardiovascular Therapeutics, has attracted hundreds of doctors from around the world who specialize in using devices that are placed in the body through catheters, most notably heart stents, the tiny devices that are used to prop open clogged arteries.
At the meeting, manufacturers of stents and related surgical products or drugs display their products in an exhibition hall.
The letters sent Thursday are part of a recent wave of inquiries by Senators Grassley and Kohl into potential conflicts of interests between medical researchers and drug and device companies. The lawmakers are also among those sponsoring legislation that would require the industry to more fully disclose such financial ties.
In their letter to the foundation, the lawmakers also took note of a comment in an article published last November in The New York Times. In the article, a researcher, Dr. Jeffrey W. Moses, who serves on the board of the Cardiovascular Research Foundation, said that the safety of heart stents "is not the big issue any more."
The senators wrote: "As you are no doubt aware, there are divergent scientific opinions concerning such products, the safety and efficacy of which are a matter of dispute among cardiologists."
The letter to the Cardiovascular Research Foundation asked the group to disclose all financing it had received since 2003 from the five device manufacturers named in the letter and also to provide documentation of any payments and benefits the foundation had provided to 22 researchers including Dr. Stone, Dr. Leon and Dr. Moses.
The lawmakers asked Columbia to provide information about the disclosures those researchers had made to the institution about their income from industry sources.
At the same conference on Thursday, researchers released results of a new study indicating that a drug-coated stent called Endeavor, made by Medtronic, was linked to more heart attacks and deadly blood clots than the Cypher stent made by Johnson & Johnson.


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Episode 281 of The CyberJungle is about 30 minutes long. You can hear it by clicking on the flash player below. The interview with Conrad Constantine of Alien Vault, begins at about the 19min mark. You may download the file directly – great for listening on many smartphones. Or, you may go to the listening options page and browse for other ways to hear the show.
To listen to Episode 281 via the flash player:
Gregory Kipper, Futurist and Author
Tales From The Dark Web
Drive-by Downloads targeting un-patched IE and Word users.
Our Take on This Weeks News
Ira's take CIA Director Petraeus scandal
The U.S.-China Economic and Security Review Commission has released its 2012 Annual Report to Congress.
"This year's report covers recent developments in the U.S.-China trade and economic relationship; the role of state-owned enterprises in China, the U.S.-China trade and investment relationship, recent developments in China's military, China's cyber capabilities, developments in China's nuclear and strategic abilities, China in the South China Sea, Taiwan, Hong Kong, China in Europe, China's demand and control of global resources, China's efforts to become a more innovative society, and the Chinese political transition."
Ira's take on tracking John McAffe


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Detective Wisner was selected as December's Officer of the Month due to his heroic actions during the pursuit of robbery suspects in April of 2013.
Mr. Floyd gave a brief presentation about the Memorial Fund and the Officer of the Month Award Program, and then presented Detective Wisner with his Officer of the Month Award. In presenting this month's award, Mr. Floyd stated "As long as there are people like Detective Wisner among us who are willing to risk their lives for the safety and protection of others, there is indeed great hope for the future of our children and for the future of our nation."
|Memorial Fund Chairman & CEO Craig Floyd and
December Officer of the Month Detective Scott Wisner


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Legislative committee will hear DOT camera proposal
Iowa transportation officials will take on the controversial issue of automated traffic cameras this week with proposed new rules designed to give them control over whether speed and red light cameras are placed on highways and interstates they oversee.
Iowa is the only state allowing automated cameras to be permanently installed on state-run highways.
The Iowa Department of Transportation on Tuesday will present proposed rules to a legislative committee at the Capitol. The rules require cities and counties to prove there's a critical safety issue at a specific location before cameras would be allowed.
Republican Sen. Brad Zaun says the rules are fine, but he'll introduce a bill again this year to ban traffic cameras.
Senate Democrats largely believe cities and counties should decide for themselves and oppose a ban.


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Arizona women no match for No. 4 Stanford
TUCSON, Ariz. (AP) — Arizona tried to stop Chiney Ogwumike inside with no success. The Wildcats had trouble getting out to Stanford's shooters, too.
The result was predictably lopsided.
Arizona fell into a big early hole and faded even more down the stretch, leading to a 96-52 loss to the fourth-ranked Cardinal Friday night.
"They've got a lethal combination because they've got a player on the inside few people in the country can guard, but they've also got a perimeter full of people who can shoot the 3-ball and from deep, so that causes a lot of problems," Arizona coach Niya Butts said.
After allowing Arizona to keep it close early in the first half, Stanford (16-1, 5-0 Pac-12) blew it open with a big run to build a 21-point first-half lead. The Cardinal cruised from there, shooting 63 percent while hitting 15 of 32 from 3-point range for their 59th straight Pac-12 road win.
Ogwumike made 12 of 13 shots, finishing with 24 points and 12 rebounds. Karlie Samuelson added 16 points and Lil Thompson had 12 points and six assists. Stanford finished with 28 assists on 40 field goals to win its 23rd straight over the Wildcats.
"We're not really concerned about who plays, we want to play well," Stanford coach Tara VanDeveer said. "I think the best thing on this team is that people keep each other accountable. If someone's not playing well, there's someone right there who can come in a do well."
Arizona (4-12, 0-5) shot well early, but was no match for Stanford after the opening five minutes.
The Wildcats had a hard time stopping Ogwumike inside in the first half and finding Stanford's shooters all night to lose their fifth straight.
Kama Griffits had 12 points and Erica Barnes added 10 for Arizona.
"Their lead was extended on us tonight because we simply didn't compete down the stretch," Butts said. "Certainly, the way they were shooting it, they weren't going to lose."
Stanford was a heavy favorite in this one.
After losing to No. 1 Connecticut on Nov. 11, the Cardinal won 13 straight. Four of those were in in the Pac-12, the closest a 10-point victory over Colorado in their last game.
Arizona has had an opposite start to conference play, following a three-game winning streak to close out the non-conference schedule with four straight Pac-12 losses. All but one were close, but none of the teams were anything like what the Wildcats were facing in Stanford.
Arizona did manage to keep it close early with good shooting, hitting six of their first nine shots to stay within 15-13 in the opening five minutes.
Problem was, the Wildcats couldn't stop the Cardinal at all.
Led by Ogwumike, Stanford hit nine of its first 11 shots and kept pouring them in, using a 21-4 run to build the lead to 45-24. The Cardinal shot 22 of 33, including 8 of 15 from 3-point range, in the first half to lead 52-31.
Ogwumike had 16 points and seven rebounds by halftime, making eight of nine shots.
Stanford gave the Wildcats no chance at a comeback, hitting 18 of 30 shots while clamping down on defense. Arizona shot 7 of 22 in the second half against the Cardinal's pressure.


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Lindsay Barrett
Can UNIDO's agribusiness dream build peace in Africa?
21 August 2012
Lindsay Barrett discusses UNIDO's strategy to make effective use of Africa's vast agricultural potential.
Posted in All Posts, Extra! | Tagged Africa, African development progress, agribusiness, Agribusiness for Africa's prosperity, agricultural production, agriculture, FAO, farmers, IFAD, Kanayo Nwanze, Lindsay Barrett, Olusegun Obasanjo, Patrick Kormawa, UNIDO, West Africa


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When Emily Maynard and Jef Holm were spotted getting cozy in a bar a few weeks ago, they were allegedly working on giving their relationship another try. However, according to Emily's camp, the Bachelorette couple is off again.
What could have possibly gone wrong (again) in such a short amount of time? A source close to the Bachelorette star says that Emily feels as if Jef is more interested in fame than her, adding, "Emily put her whole heart into this relationship and is shocked at how much Jef has changed."
"Jef was supposed to come for Christmas, but Emily canceled the plans. She's done with him," the source says. "She wants nothing to do with him anymore. He's tried calling, but she hasn't answered. She was so in love with him, and he crushed her."


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RIM Falls 10 Percent, Worries Shift to BlackBerry Service Fees
Research In Motion Ltd. swung back to profitability in its fiscal third quarter, but the BlackBerry maker fell short of resolving some of its biggest challenges as it gears up to introduce its new line of smartphones next month.
Investors initially cheered the largely better-than-expected earnings results. RIM also said it had bolstered its cash position in the quarter—an encouraging move as the company ramps up a marketing drive for its new operating system, BlackBerry 10, which rolls out with two new phones on Jan. 30.


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ESA's Cluster sees 'squashed' magnetosphere
ESA's quartet of Cluster spacecraft joined in the flurry of interest in this week's extreme solar activity, and saw Earth's magnetosphere halved in size.
Cluster is a fleet of four spacecraft flying in formation around Earth. Their mission, lasting until 2005, is to complete the most detailed investigation ever made into the ways in which the Sun and Earth interact. They relay information about how the solar wind affects our planet in three dimensions.
Our planet is surrounded by a protective magnetic shield - the magnetosphere - that shelters the Earth from most of the charged particles that are blasted across interplanetary space by explosions on the Sun. The magnetosphere varies in size and shape, and its outer boundary - the magnetopause - gently undulates like a wave due to buffeting by the solar wind.
Because the four Cluster spacecraft have been positioned around the magnetopause since 2001, they have spent several years passing in and out of our planet's magnetosphere. Normally, at this time of year the spacecraft are inside the magnetopause.
However, this week, ESA's Cluster scientists saw a huge compression of the magnetosphere, which was squashed to about half of its usual size by the 'pressure' of the particles recently ejected by the Sun. These particles come from an earlier coronal mass ejection (CME) on the 24 October. The results from the event on the 28 October have yet to be seen.
All four Cluster spacecraft were out of the magnetosphere when they should have been inside. This is a very unusual position for the magnetopause, which on the average is projects outward from our planet to a distance equivalent to about 10 times the radius of the Earth.
Such compressions can have dramatic space weather effects, particularly to geostationary satellites which are orbiting the Earth at a distance of about six Earth radii.
Further analysis of the data from the four spacecraft will tell us at what speed the magnetopause moved which will give information on the strength of the CME.
Brought back to life...
As an interesting aside, there is some good news from the Cluster team. In contrast to the concerns about potential damage to satellites, one instrument on Cluster actually benefited from the solar storm.
A small component (an analogue-to-digital converter) that failed a few weeks ago was brought back to life. Although we can't be sure, the scientists think that this might have been due to interaction with the energetic particles from the Sun's outburst.
Since then, the Cluster spacecraft have made regular measurements of the magnetopause. One of the earliest interesting discoveries has been the confirmation of the existence of waves along this ever-shifting boundary in space.
"They are like waves that form on the surface of a lake when the wind is blowing," said Cluster Project Scientist, Philippe Escoubet. "The Cluster spacecraft give us for the first time the size and speed of these waves."
"Cluster has given us the first observational proof that these waves exist," said Dr. Nicole Cornilleau-Wehrlin of CETP in Vélizy, Principal Investigator on the STAFF experiment. "Further studies will enable us to discover more about what happens and why."
By late December, the elliptical Cluster orbits carried the quartet close to a huge shock wave in near-Earth space. This bow shock, which lies some 100,000 km from the planet, forms when particles in the solar wind slow to subsonic speeds after slamming into Earth's magnetic shield at more than 1 million km/h. Cluster's battery of instruments is beginning to record in great detail what happens at this turbulent barrier.
Once again, gusts in the stream of solar particles caused the magnetosphere to behave like a punchbag undergoing heavy body blows. These "punches" caused the bow shock to migrate through space, crossing and recrossing the Cluster spacecraft at irregular intervals.
"This is the first time we have ever seen the bow shock in such remarkable detail," said Professor André Balogh of Imperial College London, the Principal Investigator for the FGM experiment on Cluster.
Comparisons of spacecraft measurements will also be invaluable for in-depth studies of other parts of the magnetosphere. Of particular interest to scientists are the cusps - funnel-shaped gaps in the Earth's magnetic shield that that guide electrified particles into the upper atmosphere.
The first Cluster observations of the north polar cusp were made on 14 January 2001, when shifts in the solar wind caused the spacecraft to pass right through this narrow "window" in the magnetic envelope at an altitude of about 64,000 km. The EISCAT ground-based radar in Svalbard, which lay beneath the Cluster spacecraft at that time, confirmed the abrupt change in the cusp's position.
Preliminary analysis of data from Cluster indicates that the upper regions of the cusp were moving through space at around 30 km/s. Further studies of the different data sets are expected to provide valuable new insights into the physical processes taking place in these key regions above the Earth's magnetic poles.
"This is a very dynamic region, but it has only been studied previously by single spacecraft," said Dr. Escoubet. "This is why the Cluster measurements are so important. With four spacecraft we can obtain the most accurate, three-dimensional view of what is happening around our planet."
Cluster and the Solar and Heliospheric Observatory (SOHO) make up the Solar-Terrestrial Science Programme - one of the Cornerstones of ESA's Horizons 2000 long term science plan. Together, they are playing key roles in international efforts to investigate the physical interaction between the Sun and Earth.


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Hombre by James Dunlop
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DALLAS (AP) — Authorities in a Texas county where a drug enforcement program was allegedly used to shake down black and Latino highway travelers are returning more than $100,000 taken during the traffic stops.
The stops in Tenaha, which often resulted in people being forced to hand over cash without any charges being filed, have led to multiple lawsuits and two federal criminal investigations.
District Attorney Kenneth Florence said Shelby County has dismissed all of its pending forfeiture cases, even those without a connection to Tenaha, in what he described as an effort to turn the page after an agreement was reached in August to settle a class action lawsuit stemming from the stops.
"I just don't think you could get anything done with any of those cases," said Florence, who was appointed by Gov. Rick Perry in August and is running for the post in next week's election. "They are all tainted, so to speak."
Asset forfeiture laws provide a civil procedure for authorities to seize property they believe is linked to criminal activity. The laws are designed to take so-called "dirty" money off the streets and allow it to be used to fund law enforcement efforts. But critics believe the laws are too easily abused, and they have frequently pointed to Tenaha, a town of 1,160 near the Louisiana border, as an example.
The class action alleged that innocent motorists of color traveling on U.S. Highway 59 were threatened with money laundering charges if they didn't turn over their cash through forfeiture agreements. Although many of the motorists initially agreed to the forfeitures, they were able to get their money back after hiring attorneys and challenging the legitimacy of the proceedings.
The settlement, which still needs a judge's approval, will require the county to take steps aimed at eliminating racial profiling in its law enforcement.
An Associated Press report last year detailed how some of the stops also resulted in suspected drug traffickers receiving light sentences or escaping criminal prosecution altogether for giving up their cash. Those cases netted the county more than $800,000 in less than a year.
They were prosecuted by the county's former district attorney, Lynda Kaye Russell, who retired at the end of last year. Russell has not responded to repeated requests for comment, and she asserted her Fifth Amendment right against self-incrimination for every question in a deposition for the class action lawsuit.
The money that remains with the county accrued from forfeiture cases that have languished because of competing claims or defendants who hadn't been properly served with court papers, records show. It has been placed in the court registry until people can prove it's theirs.
Luis Rivera, of Brockton, Mass., is among those who were notified that they have a possible claim to some of the remaining cash. He and a companion, both of whom are Puerto Rican, were arrested after being stopped four years ago in Tenaha for "following too close and failure to drive in a single lane," records show.
Joe Krowski, an attorney for Rivera, said his client is pleased he may soon get his money but remains traumatized by the two days he spent in a Texas jail.
"All of a sudden, they take your possessions and stick you in a cell when you didn't do anything wrong," Krowski said. "How much scarier does it get?"
Barry Washington, the deputy city marshal who made the stop, took $6,160 as well as two vehicles — one Rivera was driving and another he was towing — on the premise that Rivera, 30, and his companion were in possession of a criminal instrument, records show.
Krowski said the charge was based on the unproven notion that the vehicle Rivera was towing, a Volkswagen beetle, had a secret compartment.
Washington, a former Texas state trooper, testified in his deposition that he believed all the stops were legitimate and that God had directed him to disrupt drug trafficking on U.S. Highway 59.
The arrests of Rivera and his companion never led to indictments, but the money has remained in Shelby County because the companion was never served with the forfeiture papers, records show.
In addition to the cash and the vehicles, Washington seized a laptop computer, cellphones, a cellphone charger, DVDs and even a carton of cigarettes from Rivera.
Florence said it's possible the seized vehicles may still exist on a lot in Tenaha. But he said other seized items may no longer be available because of a break-in at the city's evidence locker.
In addition to the class action and a series of lawsuits filed by individual motorists, the Tenaha stops have been the subject of an investigation by the Department of Justice's civil rights division and a separate federal probe of a constable who allegedly bugged the offices of other city officials.
A spokeswoman with the Department of Justice confirmed in an email Wednesday that the civil rights investigation, initiated soon after the class action was filed in 2008, is ongoing.


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Once upon a time there was a house...
Anything that begins with such words as that usually carries with it the implicit promise that a tale is about to be told. "Once upon a time" rarely is a vehicle for conveying factual or objective truth. Rather, we have learned to read it as the set piece that introduces a bit of folk entertainment which, in the end, will leave us with a bit of folk wisdom forever wrapped in a memorable tale. All well and good and as it should be.
On the other hand, when a professional religionist begins something by saying, "Once upon a time," there is the hesitant assumption that the forthcoming insight or wisdom will be less folk or common wisdom and more geared toward making some kind of moral point. And when a professional religionist begins something by saying, "Once upon a time, there was a house...," there is every reason to assume — especially if the religionist is a Christian — that we are about to re-visit, whether we wish to or not, the parable of the two houses. One was built on a solid foundation of rock so that, when the storms came, it withstood their onslaught and remained standing. The other was built upon a foundation of sand and, when the storms came, crumbled under their onslaught and fell down. It is one of the better known of Jesus' parables and contains something very close to folk wisdom or common sense in addition to its theological ramifications.
Actually, a number of New Testament parables are common sense or folk wisdom tales, requiring not much depth of perception to understand and yet still wrapped in the skin of story and entertainment — a fact which is, I suspect, a good deal of the reason for our having a certain kind of laziness about extending them into our own time instead of leaving them as quaint, but still honored, artifacts of an earlier one. All of this came to mind for me three or four Sundays ago when the parable of the two houses was the New Testament reading for the congregation with whom I was worshipping at the time. I've been chewing on the matter ever since. So...
Once upon a time, there was a house, whether on sand or rock, I can not say; but let us assume that this house was securely positioned, at least for our purposes here. Now this house of ours had an occupant. Who, we don't know, but an occupant. That occupant has a family — a mate, children, a few pets, and an occasional relative or friend who comes for a visit. Now the children are all worrisome and gratifying and demanding, as children are supposed to be. The mate is the beloved whom the occupant can hardly bear at times, though it is clear that each of them is really in the business of sculpting the other into something that more resembles half of a new whole than it does anything else. The pets all bounce around — or the dogs do, anyway. The cats prefer to sit back, tails curled under them, and wait to be asked about what should be done next. The pets are quite dear at times and not so dear at others, but all of them are fed and housed with an affection which, unlike that extended to the children and the mate, is largely untainted by any sense of obligation or duty.
The house has all the appointments that one would expect. There are windows, well-positioned not only to let in the light, but also to admit of good cross-ventilation. There is an adequate electric system that also keeps the house well-lit, warm enough and cool enough, and very functional. Likewise, the plumbing is in good balance with the needs of the house, though like all plumbing, it will occasionally suffer from overload and back up or will be the dumping place for more than it can handle and overflow. These are ongoing nuisances that cause the occupant only passing inconvenience, but rarely extended difficulty. There is the usual division of the house's rooms into those that are more or less public and those that are private and also, of course, those that are distinctly personal — or at least, from time to time, and on a routine basis, their use is. There is, as we would expect, a lovely, warm, cheerful kitchen which transcends the categories and simply is communal space at all times. The occupant, being a good person, sees to the house and its maintenance responsibly, consulting experts from time to time, when that is necessary, and spending time and money, as well as energy, in seeing to the house's ongoing good health.
In all of this, it is very clear to all concerned that the occupant is not the electrical system, though neither the house not the occupant would scarcely be able to function without it. It is equally clear that the inviting, communal kitchen is not the occupant, nor are the attractively dressed windows nor the front porch and flowers beds that complement the house. The furnishings, all of them adequate and suited to their purposes, are not the occupant, even though they are used constantly for the comfort, sustenance, and betterment of the occupant. And certainly no one would ever think that the occupant was the stairways which went up and down, from basement to first floor to second floor to attic, or even from doorways to driveway and sidewalk and patio. The occupant is none of these things, in part, of course, because the occupant isn't a "thing" and therefore can never be one. It is true, however, that the occupant could not long survive without a house of some sort, be it this one we are speaking of, or some other shelter.
But the house and the occupant do share one commonality: they both will someday cease to be. Both will pass away. The occupant, who was not the house, will die; and the house, who was not the occupant, will burn down or molder down or be torn down or undergo some other such ending. All will be gone. All the pieces and parts of our lovely story gone into dust and ashes. All of them gone as pieces, anyway. What is and always will be is what neither the house nor the occupant, as separate entities, ever was. What is and is ever to be is home — the joy-giving, rest-filled, and light-bearing presence within experience of the reality of "home." What is, is the translation of passing tangibles into the eternal. What is, is the fusing of occupant and house into one that is neither, but both together. What is, is a story about an occupant and a house that, in truth, is really a story resurrection bodies and the kingdom of God, as in "Thy Kingdom come, Thy will be done on earth as in Heaven."
Or so it seems to me anyway.
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Tiegenhof Fire Insurance
In the early 17th century Mennonite farmers in the Tiegenhof area drew up a "Brandordnung" for mutual aid in case of fire. This arrangement was permitted by the burgomasters of Danzig in 1622. In the next year the Tiegenhöfer Feuerversicherung was founded at Tiegenhagen. It existed until the Mennonites in the Prussian area were expelled from their farms in 1945, and was the model of the Mennonite fire insurance companies in Russia.
Penner, Horst. Ansiedlung Menn. Niederländer im Weichselmündungsgebiet . . . . Weierhof, 1940: 19, 21.
|Nanne van der Zijpp
|Date Published
Cite This Article
MLA style
Zijpp, Nanne van der. "Tiegenhof Fire Insurance." Global Anabaptist Mennonite Encyclopedia Online. 1959. Web. 8 Jul 2020. https://gameo.org/index.php?title=Tiegenhof_Fire_Insurance&oldid=110096.
APA style
Zijpp, Nanne van der. (1959). Tiegenhof Fire Insurance. Global Anabaptist Mennonite Encyclopedia Online. Retrieved 8 July 2020, from https://gameo.org/index.php?title=Tiegenhof_Fire_Insurance&oldid=110096.
Adapted by permission of Herald Press, Harrisonburg, Virginia, from Mennonite Encyclopedia, Vol. 4, p. 722. All rights reserved.
©1996-2020 by the Global Anabaptist Mennonite Encyclopedia Online. All rights reserved.


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Start your summer vacation by giving us a call at (212) 995-2355 to make an appointment. Then you'll be ready for your date with the good old summertime.
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Rudyard Kipling
Rudyard Kipling (30 December 1865 – 18 January 1936 / Bombay)
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The Bee-Boy's Song
Bees! Bees! Hark to your bees!
"Hide from your neigbours as much as you please,
But all that has happened, to us you must tell,
Or else we will give you no honey to sell!"
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PureDWTS Season 17 Rant: Really, Really Dumb Ideas About the Show (Courtesy of Facebook & Instagram)
After Elizabeth & Val's elimination last Monday night, against my better judgement, I decided to see what fans on the DWTS Instagram page were saying about the results. Of course I instantly regretted this decision, because I saw more than a few hystrionic, irrational, and downright idiotic complaints about everything from the scoring to the voting to the overall format of the show. I also witnessed a horrifying lack of command of grammar, spelling, punctuation, and overall coherence when conversing in the English language 😯 And here's what really grinds my gears: nothing has changed, guys. The show's scoring has been calculated the same way for 17 seasons now (50% judges' scores, 50% viewer votes), we've had the same 3 judges for every season, and this is FAR from being the only voting shakeup we've seen in 17 seasons. So why is everyone suddenly up in arms about it now?
We may never know for sure, but I can say this: some of the Instagram & Facebook DWTS fans have got some really, REALLY dumb ideas about the show – ideas that I'm proud to say that our Pure readers would recognize as pure poppycock in a heartbeat 😉 So of course, I just had to find a way to show you guys some of these gems – both for humor purposes and educational purposes. All of these are actual comments, either on the DWTS Facebook page or the Instagram page, and all were posted publicly – so I'm within my rights to republish them here; but because some of these ideas are some real turds, I've taken pity on the commentor & blurred out any identifying details, except for the first name – cause it's a helluva lot easier to refer to them by some name than by "idiot #1, idiot #2, idiot #3, etc". 😉
Really Stupid Idea #1: The judges' scores should have more weight.
No offense, mimi, but where have you been the past 16 seasons???
I shouldn't even have to elaborate on why this is a downright TERRIBLE idea, but I'm going to anyway because clearly some of the simple-minded folk that are backing this turd of notion don't seem to understand that this is likely not going to have the effect they think it will. I'm guessing they assume that judges' scores being weighted more heavily = good dancers stay, bad dancers go. But apparently they don't realize that the judges aren't exactly infallible & objective – far from it, as we've witnessed over 17 seasons. The judges are capable of some pretty blatant favoritism towards some contestants (William Levy, anyone?) and have undeservingly HOSED other contestants (Ralph Macchio fans, this is where you nod in agreement). They also have a tendency to "pity score" some contestants to soften the blow (*cough*BRISTOLPALIN*cough*), with the unexpected effect of said contestants outstaying their welcome. And then there's their personal biases: Carrie Ann & Bruno are both easily swayed by attractive young men (regardless of how well they can actually dance), while Carrie Ann seems to turn into a green-eyed monster when it comes to scoring attractive young women, and tends to take some cheap shots when critiquing them. Len has a tendency to scold Derek at least once a season, and hand out an absurdly low score as a result. And of course, Carrie Ann's dubious lift-policing seems to have an effect as well…just ask Corbin & Karina, who earlier this season were penalized for a lift that didn't even exist. We've also talked about the "man behind the curtain" possibly exerting some influence over the judging as well – seemed awfully convenient that William Levy was getting worshipped by the judges week after week (whether or not he was actually worthy of the worship), when he was set to launch a huge deal for Univision (which is part of the ABC family…hmmmm). People REALLY want to give these clowns even MORE power? I feel like just last year, people were complaining about how the judges were terrible and needed to be replaced!!! Another point to consider: the viewers need to feel invested in this show – they need to feel like they have a say in who stays and who goes. And the minute you start making them feel like their vote doesn't count or counts less is the minute you start losing viewers. Even those that don't always vote seem to take comfort in the fact that the viewers do have the power to overturn a bad score from the judges. Read more..