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ZTE Warp
Info Photos News Forum 13 Reviews
Average Ratings
Long Term review
= Pros =
* Relatively inexpensive 'smart' Android phone for the first-time Android user.
* Decent screen and camera, especially in comparison to other brands and carriers
* Works well with larger micro SD cards, 32 GB highly recommended.
* Signal often where other carriers can't even get in.
= Cons =
* Brand bloatware is a pain; even worse when it needs updates often or keeps running in the background.
* Battery life is *ALOT* less than listed.
* Speaker is underwhelming
* No front-facing camera
* Gets warm/overheats/freezes/reboots on stock ROM, which is probably the carrier's fault with the bloatware.
For the Los Angeles County/Orange County CA region, the signal has been decent; pleasantly surprised that the signal for Boost is available *inside* buildings that *every* other provider can't reach. Typically a 4+ bar level 90% of the time.
The first firmware version B08c was decent, but the B10g has *ALOT* of bloatware from google added. Two birds with one stone brought me to the n00b VIII.II ROM on Phandroid, which primarily updated the phone without adding the bloat.
The n00b fixed a bunch of issues, caused by the bloatware--like the freezing, crashes, and reboots--and allowed for making a data backup of the phone.
Anyway, as a first phone, it's given me a lot of insight for future phones. Plus, with the lower cost for the Boost plans, it's been a positive learning experience.
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Horrible Horrible Phone
I keep hearing Blackberry is dead. Move to an Android phone. I really tried to like this phone. No I wanted to love this phone. I decided to to a comparison side by side. I had my wonderful old??? technology blackberry 8350 with the new and exciting?? ZTE Warp android phone. Both batteries were fully charged and removed from the charge at the same time. In 5 hours, i literally made 3 phone calls that lasted a total of 6 minutes on the ZTE and the phone was turned off sitting in my car for one of those 5 hours. My workhorse blackberry was on for the entire time retreiving my emails from 4 different email address and I made 10 phone calls lasting about 45 minutes. After the 5 hours I still had 95% battery on my Blackberry but my Android phone had 10% battery. I drove immediately to the local Best Buy where these geeks supposedly know everything. I was told that this is normal for a Android phone 4 hours of battery life is normal for the amount of work I was doing with this phone. Wait 6 minutes of phone calls is normal in 4 hours. So they told me I had to shut off data to my phone and my battery will last much longer. So if I wanted to check my emails I had to turn the data back on get my emails and then shut my data off every time. That is so counterproductive.
I should add that my blackberry battery finally got down to 20% when I was ready to put it back on its charger at 10pm since my day had started at 5am.
The touch screen keyboard was also counterproductive. A quick text that consists of a 10 second type on my physical keyboard took over 2 minutes because of the sensitivity. I am a typist and type over 90 WPM with zero mistakes on the physical keyboard. Now I am typing on this horrible Interface at a blinding 3 wpm. No Blackberry is not dead, Go for the flashy bells and whistles, I will take productivity and workhorse style phone over this garbage any day. Long live blackberry. Keep up the great work RIM. Keep that physical keyboard and long battery life.
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Good phone good price!
I went from the HTC Hero, to HTC Evo, to LG Optimus, and finally to the ZTE Warp. I have to admit it is a nice phone for the price. Feels really light (compared to phones this size) and the buttons feel a bit cheap, but the hardware makes up for that. It is as snappy as the Evo. Very responsive. The screen is nice and bright and has the same resolution as the Evo 4g. Only complaint is the lack of a front facing camera for video calling and a 720p video recording. All in all, it's a good phone for a good price.
Large and bright screen.
Responsive and quick to load apps.
Nice pictures from a 5mp camera.
Plays games very smoothly.
Good battery life when compared to the EVO.
Runs on Boost Mobile unlimited data with no cap.(Others like At&t cap data usage by lowering bandwidth after a certain amount.)
No front facing camera.
No 720p Video recording on the fly.
Side buttons feel cheap.
so far so good best prepaid andriod phone out there
Great phone for the price 199.99.
i have owned tons of cellphones from every cellphone company out there. i have owned several andriod phone as well as the iphone. i can say if your on a budget and good phone i would recommend this phone for you. i went from the htc evo to this one and can say that i cant tell a difference this phone is very responsive. it does everything you would want as if you were at home on your home computer. the only issue i ever had with this phone is i really wish that the speaker was a bit louder. i really dont have any other complains. the phone is very customizable i love it easy to text on fast on the internet, easy to read text,over all good buy it you will be happy i hope this helps you out
Nice phone but not the best
Big screen
nice design
Web browsing its fast.
Good battery life
Camera its not good it says 5 megapixel and when you take the pictures it looks VGA. At night with the flash pictures look blue you have to put it on cloudy and it still looks VGA.
It takes forever to send a picture message. And also gave me a message telling me it cant send the picture do too carrier size limitation whattttttttt. I send another picture from my transform and it did.
the speaker its not too loud.
I try to view my TV show and it say it could play video I don't know why since my transform lets me play it. I download flash and its still didn't play the show.
I will return the phone tomorrow.
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welcome to warp
one standout aspect of this phone is its screen.. The screen real estate available is really generous and is incredible for casual browsing and video watching.. Really recommend this phone for anybody who wants to get initiated into android ecosystem.
Not a Bad phone
After using this phone for close to 8 months now and after reading the reviews about this phone. I finally decided to voice out as to how i feel. This phone has had the worst from me ever since i got it. But im very fortunate that it has not ever broke down on me.... I am quite satisfied with this device. Given the fact it comes at a very resonable price. May be once i must have had a freezing issue, but i called ZTE and had that fixed with some reset's and a software upgrade. I say its a nice device for the price range they sell it @.
Ok but not worth over $100
Have this phone for over 6 months, switched from cricket because I liked the $5 discount every 6 months (EVERY CONTRACT PROVIDER SHOULD DO THIS). I was debating between this phone and the (cheaper priced ) Ultra. I decided on this one because I wanted a bigger screen & I'm not a fan of Qwerty phones.
Like others, I also had an issue trying to get my bill from $55 to $50 like they advertised but I wanted the international texting, so it as Ok for me.
Screens big enough for videos, pixels are marginal
Great pics if people dont make sudden movements (sucks for me since I have a toddler)
Massive amounts of memory
Not good battery life w/ internet
Force closes
Having to pull battery several times to get the phone to work!!
No front facing camera
The phone is not quality made and at this rate, may go out within a few months. I should have bought the Ultra (friend raves about it) because I would have saved money & gotten other features.
This phone is not worth over $100!!
Great value
The ZTE Warp (ZTE N860) provides a good balance of speed, battery life and overall usability. Navigating through the user interface is seamless. No dramatic lag is present. The internal memory, current version of Android and processor provide a responsive and enjoyable smart-phone. There are a few quirks but nothing that would be a deal breaker (considering the cost savings of Boost Mobile unlimited plan).
-Fast interface response
-Camera has a flash
-Large bright screen (depending on brightness setting)
-External camera button on the side
-Accepts large SDHC cards (I'm running a 16GB)
-All Google services work on the phone (ie: Gmail, Voice, Docs, Goggles, Barcode, Navigation, etc.)
-Runs Adobe Flash (download from App Market)
-Battery lasts all day with mild to moderate use
-Camera flash often causes bright spots or washout effects in the photos
-External speaker volume is low
-Interface can be overrun if switching between applications too quickly (ie: switch from Angry Birds to something else and back and it will reset the phone)


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No-ship ferry company was identified as a risk before contract win – report
Theresa May has expressed confidence in Chris Grayling following the collapse of a deal to provide extra freight capacity after a no-deal Brexit.
The Department for Transport went ahead with a £13.8 million no-deal Brexit ferry contract despite its assessment that the firm involved was "a high-risk proposition", a Government spending watchdog has reported.
The National Audit Office said that Seaborne Freight was unable satisfactorily to meet the criteria required in the DfT's tender for additional cross-Channel services to ease disruption in the case of a no-deal withdrawal from the EU.
But Chris Grayling's department decided to proceed with the contract to run services between Ramsgate and Ostend after putting additional protections into the contract to reflect the risk that Seaborne – which had no ships – might not be ready in time.
The contract was terminated at the weekend, after Irish company Arklow Shipping, which had backed the new operation, stepped away from the deal.
Theresa May's spokesman said the Prime Minister continued to have full confidence in her embattled Transport Secretary amid opposition calls for his resignation over the collapsed deal.
But shadow transport secretary Andy McDonald told the House of Commons that Mr Grayling was "rewriting the textbook for ministerial incompetence in office".
Mr McDonald claimed the DfT "took shortcuts" in the procurement process with Seaborne, adding: "For the good of the nation, and for the sake of some semblance being restored to this shambolic Government, shouldn't he now do the decent thing and go?"
In a memorandum on the case, the NAO said it was only last autumn that the Government identified the possibility of "significant" disruption to cross-Channel freight lasting for six months after a no-deal Brexit, rather than the previous worst-case estimate of six weeks.
With the flow of goods on short Channel crossings potentially set to be reduced by 87% at a cost to the economy of £5.25 billion, the DfT approached ferry companies about the possibility of laying on additional capacity.
The department cited the "extreme urgency" of the situation to bypass transparency requirements which would normally have required the publication of invitations to tender.
After approaching nine operators, it received just three bids, all of which went through to contracts worth a total of £108 million, said the NAO. External consultants were paid £800,000 for work on the procurement process.
But the NAO said that Seaborne was "non-compliant with the requirements set out in the invitation to tender".
"As a new business without significant financial history, Seaborne were unable to satisfactorily meet the requirements of the economic and financial standing assessment," said the watchdog.
"The department, considering the information it held on the bidders and the due diligence it had undertaken, decided to award contracts to all three bidders."
The DfT's accounting officer conducted a review of the decision, which found that failure to act would mean losing "the ability to secure ferry capacity that could protect critical goods under a no-deal exit" and that "reasonable measures" had been taken to ensure value for money. The deal was subsequently approved by the Treasury.
Risks identified included the possibility of "teething troubles" due to Seaborne being a new operation, the fact that the company did not have contracts to use either Ramsgate or Ostend ports and had no ships chartered and the need for a programme of work to get Ramsgate ready for use and a recruitment process for Border Force officers.
The department insisted on conditions in Seaborne's contract requiring it to meet milestones in its preparations by specific dates. The contract also included a clause requiring the department to provide £3 million to Thanet Council to enable the completion of works on the port.
The NAO memorandum was published by the influential Commons Public Accounts Committee, whose chairwoman Meg Hillier said it raised "serious issues".
"The Department for Transport waited until September 2018 to start thinking about the risks to freight transport across these important routes and entered into a £13.8 million contract with Seaborne Freight despite it being a new operation, owning no ferries, and not having binding contracts to use the specified ports," said Ms Hillier, whose committee will grill officials from the DfT on the contract in a hearing on Wednesday.
"We will be pressing the department for answers on how it awarded its three new ferry contracts, what it is doing to manage risks and exactly what it intends to do now it has axed the contract with Seaborne."
At a regular Westminster media briefing before the release of the NAO document, Mrs May's official spokesman was asked whether the PM had full confidence in Mr Grayling.
He replied: "Yes."
The spokesman added: "In relation to Seaborne, we were clear that it would need to meet specific milestones in order to fulfil its contractual obligations.
"When it became clear that it would not reach these requirements without the continued support of Arklow Shipping, the Transport Secretary decided to terminate the contract.
"It is obviously ultimately important that we protect taxpayers' money."
The PM's spokesman said he understood that no taxpayers' money had yet been spent on the contract.
He added: "We are already in advanced talks with a number of companies to secure additional freight capacity, including through the port of Ramsgate, in the event of no deal.
"There is no threat to contracts with DFDS or Brittany Ferries, who will be providing around 90% of additional capacity in the event of no deal."
Mr Grayling last month defended the Seaborne Freight contract, insisting it was "not a risk".
Speaking in the House of Commons on Monday, he told MPs that he was "fully aware" that Seaborne was a start-up business with no ships.
He said it had been Arklow Shipping's backing that gave the department confidence in the viability of the deal and that its "unexpected" withdrawal led to the termination of the contract.
"Not a penny of taxayers money has gone to Seaborne," he said.
Mr Grayling defended his department's no-deal Brexit planning, adding that the Seaborne Freight contract was "assured jointly" by DfT and Treasury officials.
A DfT spokeswoman said: "No taxpayer money has been transferred to Seaborne.
"As the NAO has made clear, the Department for Transport acted transparently and competitively throughout the process of securing extra freight.
"This was done by approaching ferry operators and encouraging bids that could be fairly assessed against each other."
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The Charlotte Collection by Legacy Classic Kids brings you pieces to transform a special young girl's room into a place where she can play, sleep and show off her unique personality. An elegant collection that shows off romantic style Victorian furniture for a stylish youth bedroom with plenty of built in storage for clothes, bedding and toys.
The Antique White finish is the perfect starting point for the decoration of this room with its bright clean color that allows you to play with fun colors on the walls, bold patterns on the bedding and playful accessories. A bedroom should be a safe place for children, so anti-tip hardware on the dressers, bureaus, chests, desk and nightstands and built-in drawer stops prevent anyone from getting hurt. Hidden drawers, cubbies, and doors mean she can organize her things the way she wants to.
All beds offer low and high rail positions to accommodate under bed storage options like drawers or a trundle allowing you to customize any of these style beds to your specific needs. Hardware includes painted details on drawer knobs and bail pulls which add to the elegant, traditional style of the collection. Let the Charlotte collection transform your young or pre-teen girl's bedroom into a space where she can show off her sweet, graceful personality and feels comfortable growing up.


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Jayson Hunter RD, CSCS, is a registered dietitian who has counseled hundreds of successful clients to achieving weight loss. To download your free copy of his special report, "33 Tips You Must Know To Create a Profitable Weight Management Program," visit www.weightmanagementexperts.com.
With the obesity rate increasing rapidly in the United States, it's become more important for health clubs to start weight-management programs. Fitness professionals are needed more than ever to step up and help make a difference.
Some of you may already teach your clients about weight loss, but you also need to reach out to the untapped market. The nice thing about a weight-management program is that you maximize your time, maximize your revenue per hour, and help many individuals achieve their goals at the same time.
1. The first step in starting a weight-management program is deciding who will teach the classes. Try to find a teacher with extensive nutritional knowledge and experience (such as a registered dietitian or other nutrition expert). If you don't have access to such an expert, start networking so that you have someone you can use as a referral source. Hire or promote a fitness professional who has a good understanding and knowledge of nutrition to teach the weight-management program, and then network with a nutrition professional as your referral source for individuals who need more personalized attention.
2. The second step is to decide on a learning plan. Outline what you want to teach your participants. Consider breaking the learning curriculum into 8-10 one-hour sessions. This allows you to spend a considerable amount of time on your objectives, and it gives the participants time to learn and form new behaviors.
3. Teach the lessons in a group setting to maximize your time and revenue. It is also a great way to have a support system amongst the participants. Why do you think there are so many support groups instead of one-on-one sessions? The reason is they are able to reach a much larger audience at once, and participants can feed off each other's successes as well as help other participants succeed.
4. The classes should be designed to connect with all four types of learning styles using various combinations of experience, reflection, conceptualization and experimentation. Not all of your participants will remember every word you say, so for those participants, you may need to give out handouts, provide food models so they can visually see portion sizes or cut out labels from packages so they can physically read a label. Even grocery store tours are very successful. Provide many different sources of learning for your participants, and encourage discussion to engrain the objectives you are trying to teach.
5. Now that you have your weight-management program in place, you need to market the program to the public. Contact your local newspapers, magazines or local television stations to let them know you have a brand new program to change the health status of your city or town. Media outlets are always looking for new and different topics that will engage and help their viewers or subscribers. If your area is on that list of fattest cities, you could bring that to light and describe how your program plans on lowering that number by next year. You could also send letters to local corporations and describe how obesity is affecting health insurance premiums and how your program can help them lower premiums.
Use these five tips to start your own successful weight-management program and start making a difference in your community.


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Primary Material: Grosgrain ribbons bottle caps hair clips
Size: 4 inch
Color: Pink
Beautiful work as always!
Hello Helen! We received the bows today. My daughter loves them so much. She said to tell you that the first ones we bought years ago still look bran new. She already has a few in mind that she wants to get in the next order. Thank you so much!
Better than I thought. They're simply beautiful.
Thank you for your business! If you have any questions or need more information, please contact me using the "Contact this seller" button.
After 2 weeks your items will automatically renewed for another 60 days and $0.23 per item will be added to your billing ledger.
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President Obama's open mic moment sure looks like a political flub. Attending the nuclear safety summit in Seoul, South Korea, and unaware that a nearby microphone was live, Mr. Obama on Monday told Russian President Dmitry Medvedev that he would have "more flexibility" in missile defense negotiations after the 2012 elections.
Then he patted Mr. Medvedev's hand in a kind of "we're all in this together" manner, and he sat back awaiting further proceedings, according to tape of the incident.
Wow. First of all, what's with world leaders and microphone mischief? Can't they all assume that every time they're in public, every word is taped? Six years ago, a microphone at a Group of Eight summit in St. Petersburg, Russia, caught George W. Bush using an expletive to describe Hezbollah activity. Then there was the campaign appearance in 2000 in Illinois where a mike picked up Dick Cheney using an expletive to describe a New York Times reporter.
Of course, in the Bush and Cheney incidents, the mike picked up an expression of their real feelings. That's what Republicans fear about Obama's gaffe – that he's just revealed his secret plan to impose his radical agenda on the United States after he tricks voters into giving him a second term.
Mitt Romney (can we call him the presumptive GOP nominee yet?) lit into Obama in that regard. At an appearance in San Diego he said, "This is no time for our president to be pulling his punches with the American people and not telling us what he's intending to do with regards to our missile defense system."
The Republican National Committee has already weighed in with a Web video backing up Mr. Romney on this point.
"What else is on Obama's agenda after the election that he isn't telling us?" it concludes.
Well, Obama did himself no favors by admitting something that's pretty obvious. Right now, he's got no room to deal with Russia on this issue. After November, if he wins, he'll be able to act without worry as to any policy's effect on his reelection chances.
But our two kopecks' worth is this: We think Obama is just playing Medvedev along. There's no evidence that second-term presidents revert to their imagined archetype, particularly when it comes to foreign policy. In his blog at Foreign Policy, Daniel Drezner makes this point well, noting that conservative Ronald Reagan's second term was marked by arms control attempts, and Democrat Bill Clinton's by forceful NATO military actions. Even Mr. Bush became markedly more dovish in his second term, according to Mr. Drezner.
"[R]ecent second-termers have not reverted to their ideological bliss point – if anything it's been the reverse, they've tacked away from their starting point," writes Drezner.
Plus, flexibility is one thing. Power is another. Yes, second-term presidents don't have to worry about appeasing the masses, but neither does Congress treat them with the deference of first-termers. They won't be at the top of the ticket again, and friend and foe alike very quickly begin to focus on who might run next time. We've said it before: Second terms are like slowly deflating balloons. Remember Iran-Contra?
Obama made this point in his own defense after the hot mic incident, though he didn't put it so starkly.
"The only way I get this stuff done is if I'm consulting with the Pentagon, with Congress, if I've got bipartisan support. And frankly, the current environment is not conducive to those kinds of thoughtful considerations," Obama told reporters at the nuclear summit. "This is not a matter of hiding the ball."


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What are guys wearing for safety glasses? Any good brand?
I have prescription safety glasses I paid an arm and a leg for and I like them better than any "generic" safety glasses I have ever used. I wear them from the time I get out of the van until I get back in.
Officially, Down for the count
I know enough to know, I don't know enough
Liberalism-Ideas so good they mandate them
Harbor Freight Cheap-os.
They cost me about $4 a pair and I usually buy the dark ones and wear them as sunglasses.
I don't wear them ALL the time, although I know that I should.
Here's what we have:
Clear and dark, grab them by the handfuls and they last 3-4 weeks each. I have been hit square in the glasses a few times and they hold up.
ImageUploadedByTapatalk 21363539868.640280.jpg ImageUploadedByTapatalk 21363539899.190689.jpg stinger goggles, if your planning on making sparks.
We use ones from MCRSafety. Most of the guys including myself use the "Tribal" model. They come in clear and shaded lenses. I really like em.
Originally Posted by 2sac
I have prescription safety glasses I paid an arm and a leg for and I like them better than any "generic" safety glasses I have ever used. I wear them from the time I get out of the van until I get back in.
I have safety frames with snap on side guards, the Dr said I could only get transition and bifocal. He thought he should make the bifocal a little higher then normal. I hated them, now I have non safety transitions, with progressive lenses and they are nice. Only problem with transitions is they turn black on a roof, if you look inside the blower compartment you can not see very well, I have to keep a set of clear glasses with me as well.
I had transitions for a week when they first came out and I returned them. I need bifocals, but I don't have them. I keep a pair of cheap reading glasses with me if I need them.
Originally Posted by aixha1969
What are guys wearing for safety glasses? Any good brand?
I had eye surgery and told to only wear Bolle as they are superior UV filtering lenses. Worn them for nine years every day. Different class.
Bolle Viper Smoked lens (Blue) safety gasses.
By coincidence, just took delivery of seven pair, just in case they discontinue them.
Recommended 100%.
Sent from my iPad using Tapatalk HD
Sent from my iPad using Tapatalk HD
I wear Elvex RX-300, they have a bi-focal in the bottom of the lens, and come tinted or untinted. When they get all scratched up I toss them. I buy them on-line from SafetyGlassesUSA dot com
I traded out with an opthamologists for him to check my prescription and hook me up with safety rated glasses.
They are made by Bolle and are wrap style sunglasses frames with clear lenses that transition very quickly from completely clear to shaded but not super dark shaded like real sunglasses, just enough to knock down the sun so I don't squint but can still see if I pop into a crawl hole or something. I've loved them so far and also wear them cycling, I recommend getting a neoprene strap that will snug your glasses against your head if you are doing something where they could fall a long ways or you are moving very quickly.
It might look a little different but when you're covered in oil, pipe dope, grease, etc, it's not like your safety glasses and strap will make a difference.
Had I paid for them it would have been in the $600 range.
Refrigerant dont like lenses I have several pair of glasses that have been destroyed by refrigerant getting on my lenses.
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text: Mercedes is again showing off its pair of "climate tunnels" designed to abuse their cars while sparing their drivers. Imagine a Category 5 Hurricane, followed by a dry 140-degree Fahrenheit heat, and then a snow storm with -40 degree Fahrenheit cold. Actually, don't imagine it. Look at it. This Mercedes-Benz SLK is the result.


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Sunset Safari, an exclusive after-hours wildlife fest at the L.A. Zoo for SAFARI CLUB donors hosted by the Greater Los Angeles Zoo Association (GLAZA), takes place on Saturday, September 28, 2013. One of many SAFARI CLUB benefits, the evening features wildlife of Africa and South America.
Sunset Safari will give guests a chance to experience animals up close through keeper talks, animal feedings, training demonstrations, and strolling animal walkabouts. The evening includes buffet dinner, international music, Tom Mankiewicz Conservation Carousel, and more!
SAFARI CLUB is GLAZA's premier upper-level giving society starting at $1,500. Donors have numerous opportunities throughout the year for encounters with exotic animals, meetings and discussions with the Zoo Director and curators, and learning the latest in wildlife research and conservation from experts in the field.
Individuals who become SAFARI CLUB members are among an elite group who believe strongly in the L.A. Zoo's mission to inspire an appreciation of wildlife through animal exhibits and education, to ensure the highest level of animal welfare, and to support programs that preserve biodiversity and conserve natural habitats. On a local level, their support helps underwrite the Zoo's general operations, education and outreach programs, and exhibit enhancements for its animal population. Globally, they contribute to the Zoo's dozens of international conservation and breeding programs, offering hope of recovery for many of the earth's endangered species.
SAFARI CLUB is the pinnacle among the donor and membership programs presented by the private, nonprofit GLAZA. For five decades, the organization has funded plant and animal exhibits, species conservation, capital projects, and education and community outreach programs at the Los Angeles Zoo and Botanical Gardens, an international leader in the preservation of endangered species and a conservation center for the care and study of wildlife. GLAZA also builds and invests endowment funds and operates five essential departments on behalf of the L.A. Zoo: development, publications, membership, volunteers, and oversight of the food and retail concessions. Last year the Zoo welcomed 1.6 million visitors, 500,000 of whom were school-aged children. There are currently 73,000 GLAZA-member households representing more than 300,000 adults and children, the largest membership base of any cultural organization in Los Angeles. GLAZA additionally boasts a volunteer corps of more than 800 individuals.
The Los Angeles Zoo and Botanical Gardens is located in Griffith Park at the at the junction of the Ventura (134) and Golden State (5) freeways.
For information about the SAFARI CLUB, please email Nancy Simerly or call 323 644-4717.


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A comfort when you are ill, no matter what ails you.
A friendly voice on the phone.
A ready invitation for dinner.
A hug and a smile just when you need it.
Judy is all of this and more. And she asks for nothing in return.
But, she doesn't turn down offers of dessert. Judy and I share an affinity for not-too-sweet after-dinner treats. And she is always ready to try any dish that emerges from my kitchen. When she and her husband Bruce lived just a few short stairs from me, I was always bringing down tastes of my creations — a white bean dip, chatzilim (eggplant), and quinoa – for an honest opinion. The sweet ones we often shared around a cup of tea or coffee. They critiqued some of my less successful experiments – a challah that fermented and two attempts at apple cake before I came up with this one that still does not meet Judy's discerning palate.
Judy's recent favorites are a nearly flourless chocolate cake and chocolate almond biscotti. I made these biscotti last week and brought over a tin for dessert after she and Bruce shared a pot of chicken soup to keep out the cold. A few days later, Judy returned the empty tin and requested a refill.
Chocolate Almond Biscotti
Adapted from Alice Medrich's Chocolate and the Art of Low-Fat Desserts. These biscotti are very crispy without being hard. The recipe suggests that they are best at least 2 days after baking, but I find them pretty good immediately after baking and I did not find an appreciable change in their texture. The use of chocolate crumbs made from chocolate chip gives them a double chocolate flavor with small bursts of chocolate.
Makes over 3 dozen cookies.
– 3/4 C sliced blanched almonds
– 1 3/4 C all-purpose flour (divided)
– 1/2 C chocolate chips
– 1/2 C unsweetened cocoa
– 1 t baking soda
– 1/4 t salt
– 3 eggs
– 1 C sugar
– 1 t vanilla extract
Position racks in lower and upper third of oven and preheat to 350°F.
Toast nuts. Toast almonds on baking sheet until golden – start checking after 8 minutes to avoid burning. When you can smell the nuts, they are generally ready.
Reduce oven to 300°F.
Make chocolate crumbs. In a food processor or blender, chop chocolate chips with up to 1/2 C flour to make chocolate crumbs. The addition of flour prevents the chocolate from becoming a big chocolate blob.
Mix dough. Beat the eggs with the sugar and vanilla until well combined. Sift in the remaining flour, cocoa powder, baking soda, and salt. Stir in this flour mixture, and then stir in the chocolate crumbs and toasted almonds. The dough will be very thick and sticky.
First baking. Using a spatula and floured hands, shape dough into long skinny loaves – either 3 12-inch loaves or 2 16- to 18-inch loaves onto a parchment- or Silpat-lined baking sheet. Make sure to leave 2.5 inches between loaves. Bake for 45 minutes on the lower rack. Remove from oven and cool on the pan.
Slice loaves. Carefully peel loaves from parchment or Silpat, and slice on a diagonal (45° angle) into 1/2 inch slices.
Second baking. Bake again at 300°F for another 20-25 minutes. The easiest way to bake is to place sliced biscotti directly on the oven rack. Alternatively, you can place biscotti on two baking sheets. After 5-6 minutes, rotate the pans from top to bottom and front to back. After another 5-6 minutes, flip all the biscotti over. Then, after another 5-6 minutes, rotate pans again. As you might guess, I prefer the direct on rack method.
Storage. Cool biscotti completely on racks. Biscotti may be stored in an airtight tin for several weeks at room temperature.


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I Just Fell in Love with Carina!
I've got a confession to make: I fell in love with a girl named Carina. The way she makes me feel, her scent, her no nonsense appearance; she's a keeper indeed. I feel like I'm always getting hurt in relationships, but Carina would never do that to me. Unlike the other tramps who have seduced me, Carina wants me to feel so fresh and so clean and never at the expense of Planet Earf. She's a lover, this gal.
While her attributes are endless, I must share a few you.
- Pure and Natural Daily Moisturizing Shampoo (from $9.99): She's organic, she's bullshit-free, and she loves Earf so much that I can take her camping knowing that she'd never hurt any little lake or river critters. She's a tree-hugger who doesn't smell a thing like Patuchli.
- Nature's Blends Daily Light Conditioner (from $9.99): I don't like to feel like a relationship is weighing me down and she's got me feeling light and healthy, yet oh-so-full. This chick is smoof. Again, she's all about keeping it real and would never harm me with parabens or some other junk.
- Pure and Natural Fast Drying Hairspray ($9.99): I look good, Carina knows it and wants me to stay that way. I can spritz a lil bit of her on my classy coif and know that I won't punch holes in the ozone.
- Nature's Blend Daily Moisturizing & Hydrating Hand & Body Lotion ($14.99): Like Vanessa Williams I decided to Save the Best for Last. Ever wonder what it feels like float on a cloud of bubblegum cotton candy? Yeah, me too! This stuff's got me feeling so good and soft and yummy. I've certainly been around the block and let me tell you, she's one of the best. The perfect touch and amount of scent and I don't think I'll be straying.
Lucky for you, Carina and I have an open relationship and I'm willing to share. Look her up. She'll be happy to help you feel good about yourself.
About Tiffany (Tiffany's Profile)Tiffany of CrueltyFreeMoms.com, is all about her boy Zeke, her pooch The Gronz, veganism, punk, metal, and Prince. Not necessarily in that order.
Filed in: vegan hair care
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Hey! I just came across this post (i know its an older posting) and am new to using Carina products.
They are now completely vegan, no beeswax in pure and natural or natures blends (I emailed the company to ask just in case!)they have new packaging as well! 🙂
There's beeswax in the conditioner and lotion. Looks like all of their conditions have beeswax.
Thank you! I was just going to purchase a few Christmas stocking stuffers until I read not all products are not 100% vegan – really thanks for the heads up!


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If you listen to our podcasts, play games with us, or watch our streams enough, it's probably no secret that we really, REALLY love Smite (except for Obi, because he's weird and doesn't really play games). Hi-Rez Studios has been wonderfully supportive of the GeekyAntics Network and gaming community as a whole. In fact, 2016 has been a banner year for Hi-Rez as they have risen to the top as a competitive game and preferred MOBA alike.
To celebrate the awesome year that has been 2016, the folks at Hi-Rez Studios have gems discounted and the Ultimate God Pack at 50% OFF! Even better, you still have a few days to take advantage of the Odyssey 2017 event, which runs through January 4th 2017. This is an opportunity to earn free skins, portrait frames, icons, and more.
Gems will be on sale for a limited time at the following prices (USD):
- 200 Gems: 3.34 USD
- 400 Gems: 5.35 USD
- 800 Gems: 10.04 USD
- 1500 Gems: 16.74 USD
- 2500 Gems: 23.44 USD
- 35000 Gems: 33.49 USD
- 8000 Gems: 66.99 USD
That's a 33% markdown – NOICE! I just bought some gems not too long ago and I think I'm gonna stock up on some more. You can't beat it at this price! The way I see it, this is a nice way to throw a smaller studio a tip for a job well done.
Smite has been one of the top games for celebrating Christmas and keeping the holiday spirit going. My only lamentation is that the event period is just too short. I really want some more stabs at the brutally hard Fanrir's Wonderland, a 15-round test of might. It's a chance at Christmas-themed goodies and exclusive Odyssey content.. Plus it's a great way to sharpen your skills (or just rage REALLY hard)!
Personally, I think we need longer event periods. There are too many games running weekend-long events. At best, they'll do it for a couple of weeks. Why not a month or two? Make it a big celebration! We need more Christmas cheer beyond the materialistic thing it's become thanks to retail!
Some of the community has taken to Reddit to complain about the in-game events but I'd say that they are some of the best around. Of course, you got to expect negativity and trolling on Reddit so take it with a grain of salt. I will admit that I am a bit biased because Hi-Rez is based in my home state of Georgia and they're just good people overall. That aside, Smite is just a really good game.
Admittedly, I still prefer Heroes Of The Storm due to the focus on team performance over individual performance but Smite is the game that has caught on and DAMN is it good. It takes everything we love about MOBAs and makes it far more accessible and sexy (seriously). The beautiful 3D graphics and T&A sure don't hurt – there's definitely lots of fan service in Smite and I'm okay with that! Heck, if you want to make man bulges a thing in games, go for it.. People should stop being uptight over a little exposed skin.
Those of you who played during the closed alpha/beta on PC remember how janky the game used to be. It's come a loooooong way and it's thanks to the commitment of the devs and community alike! Sure, you could say the same about League Of Legends but I feel Smite has more of a finger on the gaming community pulse (and they're not flipping us that finger). There, I said it.
What's nice about Smite is that it's easy to learn and hard to master, which is the mark of a great competitive game, if you ask me. You can set your skills and purchases on automatic so all you have to do is focus on the action. This is great because let's face it: item building and skill progression are two areas where too much time is wasted.. It's also where toxicity is introduced as everyone swears they know THE "best" build. SMH… Also, if you ever introduce a friend to a MOBA, you'll find they waste half of the game in the shop while their lanes get pushed and bases get destroyed. LOL! Good times.
It's been an amazing journey watching Smite grow. In spite of the controversy surrounding the scantily-clad characters and so-called "blasphemous" themes, Smite continues to attract new and returning players alike. The trolls have tried to stop it but this game is taking off. In a space where we have alternatives like Gigantic, Overwatch, Battleborn, Paladins, and more available on consoles, Smite does A LOT to stay fresh and fun (so fresh and so clean-clean-clean)!
BTW, January 5th through 8th is the Hi-Rez Expo IHRX). You may not know this but Hi-Rez has other great games like Tribes Ascend and the new-ish Paladins. There's also Smite Tactics and Jetpack Fighter. HRX will celebrate these games, cosplay (see Neith cosplay by Jennyan above), and the Smite World Championship. I really need to make it to Atlanta but the timing is kinda rough for me. If you go, let us know and share pics with us, plox!


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Sunday, November 18, 2012
Now that's compassion for you
From DNA Info:
The city's Department of Buildings has slapped violations on homeowners of condemned homes in Breezy Point that were destroyed during Hurricane Sandy, DNAinfo.com New York has learned.
Dozens of already shell-shocked homeowners trying to deal with the aftermath of the storm found tickets nailed to their crushed homes this week.
One violation cited "failure to maintain" the building, and the ticket's wording threatened "criminal prosecution" if the problem was not "immediately corrected."
"It was shocking," one homeowner said after finding the summons taped to a mangled storm door Friday.
"Here I am dealing with a house that's off its foundation, it is condemned, and I finally found a contractor with a bulldozer to push it to the curb so that it can be taken away by FEMA," said the owner, who requested anonymity.
"And just as I am about to watch my house be carted away on the back of a trailer by FEMA forever, the contractor sees a white piece of paper tacked to it."
A spokesman for the Buildings Department told DNAinfo.com that the notices were simply a formality of the process, not intended as a notice of civil action.
"These violations were issued to document the damage that occurred and do not carry any monetary penalties for the property owner," said department spokesman Tony Sclafani.
Still, that offered little consolation for the homeowners left with nothing, after their homes were torn down, but the words on that piece of paper.
"I did not know what it was, and then I stood in the street, watching my house being taken away, and I am reading the paper and it is a summons for a building violation," said the homeowner.
"What are they smoking down there?" he wondered about the Buildings workers.
The remedy, it says, is "Obtain all necessary permits for demo/repairs."
Will fee for the permits be waived, at least?
From the NY Times:
New York City is moving to demolish hundreds of homes in the neighborhoods hit hardest by Hurricane Sandy, after a grim assessment of the storm-ravaged coast revealed that many structures were so damaged they pose a danger to public safety and other buildings nearby.
About 200 homes will be bulldozed in the coming days, almost all of them one- and two-family houses on Staten Island, in Queens and Brooklyn. That is in addition to 200 houses that are already partially or completely burned down, washed away or otherwise damaged; those sites will also be cleared.
The Buildings Department is still inspecting nearly 500 other damaged structures, some of which could also be razed, according to the commissioner, Robert L. LiMandri.
One challenge facing the department is reaching owners of the homes facing demolition. Many are now living elsewhere — with friends or family or in hotels or shelters — and are barred from entering the houses because they are unsafe.
The city is trying to proceed with sensitivity, with Buildings Department staff members walking the streets in these neighborhoods, trying to track down those affected through their friends and neighbors and urging them to go to one of the six recovery centers set up by the city and to register their damaged homes by calling 311.
But, in some cases, where the danger is imminent, the department will issue an emergency declaration to bulldoze the buildings, even if the owners have not been contacted.
"This is not easy, in this case, because of all these displaced people, but we're going to do the best we can, but we may have to move on it if we can't find them," Mr. LiMandri said.
7 comments:
THe city sucks. The transit cops in rockaway are getting their balls broken because they are low on summonses.The train is not running and people are sffering but get the "numbers".........
- Sunday, November 18, 2012
Ran into a DOB inspector who was apparently on a break
smoking a cigar, dressed ike a slob, and looking 2 sheets to the wind, mumbling to himself. Wonder how many bribes he's taken over his career at DOB.
- Sunday, November 18, 2012
This is criminal!
You've got to twist--no break--DOB's arm to get a violation slapped on the likes of a Tommy Huang!
- Sunday, November 18, 2012
Truth on Newtown Creek pollution is starting to trickle out.
Jimmy Van Bramer, the community is waiting for you to make a statement.
Now is not the time for a cover up to shadow over your budding career.
- Sunday, November 18, 2012
THe city sucks. The transit cops in rockaway are getting their balls broken because they are low on summonses.The train is not running and people are sffering but get the "numbers"
What is City Council doing beside being a quiet backdrop to Chrissy Quinn's antics?
Their loo-loos certainly trump any other concerns.
- Sunday, November 18, 2012
"Isn't this the greatest neighborhood"?
Jimmy Van Brammer at a recent Sunnyside Gardens event.
Jimmy Van Brammer on hurricane Sandy and the less fortunate neighborhoods ,"................................"!
Your silence IS NOT golden Jimmy!
- Monday, November 19, 2012
When I first heard violations were being issued I didn't believe it. The Department of Buildings is the ONLY city agency that gets to keep the $ from violations. . . the Dep't of Buildings is run by an MBA - who would not miss a money-making opportunity. Schmuck.
- Monday, November 19, 2012


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Events & Exhibitions on 07/14/2018
- Wed, 09/27/2017 - 8:00am to Sat, 09/15/2018 - 5:00pm
Thanks in part to Hollywood's insatiable desire for superhero blockbusters, the nearly 100-year old comic book industry in the United States has seen a major resurgence in sales and public interest since 2010. Despite the rising mainstream attention, the comic book industry remains largely...
- Thu, 01/18/2018 - 8:00am to Thu, 11/15/2018 - 5:00pm
Hours for Art & Architecture differ from regular UCSB Library hours. Please check before visiting.
A photographic study of the James Bay Cree taken in four Cree villages in northern Quebec in 1973 at a time when the Cree were starting their negotiations with the...
- Fri, 02/09/2018 - 8:00am to Fri, 08/31/2018 - 5:00pm
Visit the online exhibition here.
UCSB Library presents an exhibition of photographs of gold mines in...
- Mon, 04/02/2018 - 8:00am to Thu, 09/20/2018 - 5:00pm
On view at the UCSB Library in collaboration with UCSB's Art, Design, & Architecture (AD&A) Museum and the UCSB MesoAmerican Research Center (MARC), the UCSB Library is pleased to present this exhibition as part of MARC's outreach to expand the knowledge of the Arts of Pre-...
- Fri, 07/06/2018 - 8:00am to Thu, 12/20/2018 - 5:00pm
This exhibition features the winners of the annual Art of Science competition organized by UCSB's Schuller Lab and Center for Science and Engineering Partnerships at the California NanoSystems Institute. The UCSB Library is proud to showcase these eye...
- Fri, 07/06/2018 - 8:00am to Thu, 01/03/2019 - 5:00pm
In 1892, Anna S. C. Blake, a wealthy Bostonian who relocated to Santa Barbara, founded the Santa Barbara Sloyd School in the city's downtown. Sloyd schools emphasized manual training and were closely linked to European folk art traditions and the Arts and Crafts movement. Renamed the Anna Blake...


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OBSERVATION POST OUELLETTE, South Korea — Razor-wire close to the border, President Barack Obama on Sunday paid his first visit to the tense zone separating North and South Korea amid new nuclear tensions. He told American troops stationed nearby they are protectors of "freedom's frontier."
OBSERVATION POST OUELLETTE, South Korea — Razor-wire close to the border, President Barack Obama on Sunday paid his first visit to the tense zone separating North and South Korea amid new nuclear tensions. He told American troops stationed nearby they are protectors of "freedom's frontier."
Obama shook hands and spoke briefly in the dining hall at a U.S. military camp just outside the 2.5-mile-wide Demilitarized Zone, then walked into the heavily patrolled no-man's land to tour a small post where South Korean forces patrol just 100 yards from the demarcation line.
The president, positioned behind bulletproof glass, peered through binoculars across the line that has bisected the Korean peninsula for 60 years. He spent about 10 minutes at the observation post, looking first toward North Korea, then back to the South.
It was an unmistakable show of force to communist North Korea and its new leader at a time of diplomatic standoff. Obama underscored the Cold War symbolism by making the tour his first order of business ahead of a gathering of world leaders pledged to keep nuclear materials safe. Nuclear-armed North Korea will not attend.
The U.S. is threatening to cancel planned food aid to the North over its announcement that it will launch a long-range rocket next month, news that overshadows the gathering of world leaders committed to nuclear security that Obama will attend in Seoul.
"I could not be prouder of what you're doing," Obama told smiling American troops at Camp Bonifas at the edge of the DMZ. Obama said the same is true at every U.S. military post, but "there's something about this spot in particular."
"You guys are ... at freedom's frontier. When you think about the transformation that has taken place in South Korea during my lifetime, it is directly attributable to this long line of soldiers, sailors, airmen, Marines, Coast Guardsmen who were willing to create the space and the opportunity for freedom and prosperity," Obama said.
Obama's visit takes place as North Koreans mark the end of the 100-day mourning period for longtime leader Kim Jong Il, who died of a heart attack in December. Since Kim's death, son Kim Jong Un has been paying a series of high-profile visits to military units and made his own trip to the "peace village" of Panmunjom inside the DMZ earlier this month.
"The contrast between South Korea and North Korea could not be clearer, could not be starker," Obama told the troops.
That was a reference to the political freedom and prosperity in democratic South Korea, and the repression and desperate food shortages of the North.
In the midst of an election year focused on economic concerns at home, Obama has designed a rare Asia visit that features time in just one country. He'll use much of the time to keep pressure on North Korea to back off the planned rocket launch and return to disarmament talks.
The South Korean and U.S. militaries have found that North Korea has moved a long-range rocket to its northwestern launch site in preparation for its launch, South Korean Defense Ministry and Joint Chiefs of Staff officials said Sunday. The officials — speaking on condition of anonymity citing department rules — refused to provide further details.
Obama's visit to the border separating the Korean peninsula is the fourth by a U.S. president. Ronald Reagan, Bill Clinton and George W. Bush all visited the DMZ; other U.S. officials regularly go there.
The border zone is a Cold War anachronism, a legacy of the uncertain armistice that ended the Korean War nearly 60 years ago. Hundreds of thousands of troops stand ready on both sides of the border zone, which is littered with land mines and encased in razor wire. Obama officials said the goal is to thank U.S. and South Korean military members and show U.S. resolve from "the front line of democracy" on the peninsula.
The United States has more than 28,000 troops in South Korea.
North Korea plans to launch a satellite using a long-range rocket next month, which the U.S. and other powers say would violate a U.N. ban on nuclear and missile activity because the same technology could be used for long-range missiles. Taken by surprise, the U.S. warned that a deal to resume stalled food aid to the North could be jeopardized if North Korea goes ahead.
The U.S. considers the rocket launch practice for a ballistic missile test and a violation of North Korea's international responsibilities. The planned launch is yet another setback for the United States in years of on-again, off-again attempts to launch real negotiations. The announcement also played into Republican criticism that Obama had been too quick to jump at a new chance for talks with the North Koreans.
Campaign politics surrounding a sitting president typically subside when he is abroad, although Obama's posture toward threats to America will be scrutinized by his rivals.
The timing comes as daily economic worries, not foreign ones, are driving the concerns of American voters. Yet the setting does give Obama a few days to hold forth on the world stage while, back home, Republican presidential candidates keep battling each other.
The goal of the large gathering of world leaders is to secure nuclear material and prevent it from being smuggled to states or groups intent on mass destruction. Progress has been uneven since 2010, when Obama set an ambitious goal of locking down vulnerable nuclear materials by 2014. No breakthroughs are expected now.
Obama has called nuclear terrorism the gravest threat the United States and the world may face. North Korea is a prime suspect in the proliferation of some nuclear know-how, along with missiles that could be used to deliver weapons of mass destruction. Iran is suspected in the arming of terrorists with non-nuclear weaponry, and the U.S. and other nations suspect Iran's nuclear energy program could be converted to build a bomb.


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Customer relationships begin with trust. When customers entrust your organization with their sensitive financial and personal information, not only do they expect you to keep it safe, but they also demand the same fast, convenient online experiences they've become accustomed to over web and mobile devices. This new e-book provides guidance on how financial institutions can meet and exceed these expectations, while also reaping bottom-line rewards, by mastering security, trust, and digital experience. You'll learn about: - What makes your new millennial customers tick - How to stay competitive in a rapidly evolving digital market - Real-world takeaways and success stories
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Investigate the numbers that come up on a die as you roll it in the
direction of north, south, east and west, without going over the
path it's already made.
If I use 12 green tiles to represent my lawn, how many different
ways could I arrange them? How many border tiles would I need each
Can you go from A to Z right through the alphabet in the hexagonal
Thank you, Maisie. It is very clear how you have changed the number of cubes to make the different sizes. Well done.


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We are proud to announce that this Apr 5th, 2:00 PM to 4:00 PM we will be hosting an Open House at 488 Helmcken Street in Robinson Tower in the Yaletown neighborhood, Vancouver. This is an opportunity to visit this excellent Apartment for sale in beautiful Yaletown.
Please come with any questions you may have. In the meantime you can take a virtual tour of this Yaletown Apartment for sale.
As always please do not hesitate to give me a call at 604.602.1111 if I can answer any questions before the open house, or if you would like to book a private showing.
Colin Doig
RE/MAX Crest Reality Westside


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Using Small Loans to Generate Big Profits – Microlending Drives One of Africa's Most Ambitious Banks – WSJ.com
By SOLOMON MOORE
NAIROBI, Kenya—At a recent group-lending meeting in the Kawangware slum, about 10 miles from downtown, Jackson Munyovi sought $350 to build a new shanty for his wife and two children.
Nichole Sobecki for The Wall Street JournalJackson Munyovi borrowed $350 to build a new shanty for his two children and wife.
The 31-year-old welder asked fellow church congregants and friends to co-sign a loan to finance building materials. A church deacon vouched for the borrower's assets, including a few metal-shop machines and his marital bed, and Mr. Munyovi promised to repay the loan in six months, plus 8% interest.
And with that, Equity Bank Group—one of Africa's most ambitious banks—snagged another customer.
The Kenyan bank has enjoyed a booming business lending to people with little collateral beyond the potential disgrace of letting friends down. Equity executives aren't shy about a business model that leverages societal mores and shame—often the strongest collateral to be found on a continent where formal credit records are scarce beyond the biggest cities.
"If a woman secures a mortgage with her matrimonial bed, she will never default," declares Chief Executive Officer James Mwangi. "And other women will support her just to ensure that that matrimonial bed is not removed when the husband is not there. Here, social relationships are more valuable than economic relationships."
In this field, known as microlending, Equity executives say their main competition isn't other banks—it is the bedroom mattresses where many Africans store their savings. Nearly 90% of Equity's customers are first-time bank clients, Mr. Mwangi said.
The unbanked represent about 80% of Africa's adult population, or 326 million people, according to banking-industry estimates. Most of those people are employed in Africa's massive informal sector—a term describing an untaxed, unregulated part of the economy.
Among African microfinance institutions, both public and private, performance has lagged behind similar lending organizations elsewhere, according to a recent study by the Consultative Group to Assist the Poor, a microfinance-policy-research group supported by the World Bank. Only 25 African microfinance institutions have assets greater than $30 million, compared with Latin America and the Caribbean with 105 institutions and 62 in Europe and Central Asia.
Leveraging Friends in Kenya's Slums
Nichole Sobecki for The Wall Street JournalWorkers take a break at Jackson Munyovi's metal shop.
Other Kenyan banks, particularly Kenya Commercial Bank, also are expanding their customer bases by targeting small borrowers in the informal economy, but none have caught up with Equity, which pioneered the idea of signing the unbanked in Kenya and fortified its position with the nation's largest network of storefront banking agents.
That leaves Equity with few competitors in Africa and none that can match its scale.
The bank started out as Equity Building Society in 1984, a mortgage financier for low-income Kenyans. The company nearly collapsed by the 1990s due to management shortcomings, a downturn in the nation's banking sector and nonperforming loans topping 54% of its portfolio.
Mr. Mwangi joined the bank in 1993 after working for Ernst & Young and Trade Bank, a now-defunct Kenyan bank, and was its chief executive officer by 2004. He is credited with fashioning its microlending strategy and steering it toward profitability by targeting individuals with deposits of less than $200 and little collateral beyond the willingness of friends and neighbors to vouch for them.
For the bank, amorphous social relationships that bind communities—church and mosque associations, tribal and familial relationships, company and school affiliations—became a hard asset.
In their lending decisions, executives used a hybrid approach that combines hard-nosed cultural analysis with microlending techniques. Such methods are common at nonprofit institutions, but Equity has used them to make money.
In 2011, pretax profit surged 42% to $150 million, making it Kenya's second-most profitable bank after Kenya Commercial Bank. About a third of Equity's loans in 2011 were noncollateralized payday advances for as little as $12 for civil servants who agreed to repay the loans with 10% interest taken out of their next paycheck.
An additional 11% of Equity's loans were to small enterprises such as fruit stands, used-clothing racks and hair salons. Collateral can include anything from furniture, household appliances or the business's assets.
Upon repayment, borrowers can qualify for loans of $590 and then $886 to be paid over the same term. The final step for new borrowers is a $1,200 loan to be paid within a year.
Godfrey Chege is one such customer: He received a loan for almost $1,200 from Equity to expand his chicken-selling business. He and his wife pledged their bed as collateral.
Eighteen months after Equity opened an office in Kibera, one of the world's largest slums, the branch had more than 15,000 clients, according to Francis Mbindyo, a manager of the recently opened Kibera branch.
Customer lines at other Equity bank branches often snake out the front door. Mr. Mbindyo says borrowers must also be part of a loan group of at least a dozen people willing to be co-signers.
Nonperforming loans accounted for 2.7% of Equity's total portfolio, according to the company's most recent quarterly statement.
For 88% of Equity's customers, the bank was the first bank at which they ever opened an account, and more than three-quarters of Equity's loans are unsecured by collateral.
Equity also uses an agency model in Kenya, paying commissions to storefront operators who act as remote bank tellers in rural areas. The bank had nearly 4,000 agency locations in March 2012, compared with 875 at the beginning of 2011. One-fifth of Equity's cash transactions are done through agents, according to company statements.
Equity is also expanding regionally. The bank has opened a total of 51 branches in Uganda, South Sudan and, most recently, in Rwanda and Tanzania. Those forays were preceded by yearlong executive-training programs for local staff, said Mr. Mwangi.
"We want to be an international bank that is a local bank in every community," he said.
Fruit farmer Thomas Kimote's first Equity loan was for about $200 four years ago. He used the money to expand his operation and he now supplies several of Kenya's largest grocery stores.
"I am more of distributor now," said Mr. Kimote.
Mr. Mbindyo, Equity's Kibera branch manager, said that Mr. Kimote's business had resulted in other customers for the bank, including his suppliers, his drivers and others linked to his enterprise.
A version of this article appeared July 23, 2012, on page C1 in the U.S. edition of The Wall Street Journal, with the headline: Finding Big Profits In Many Little Loans.


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D.L. Hughley isn't afraid to speak his mind, and one caller took exception to his support of Oprah Winfrey's comments suggesting that racism will subside as old racists die. Listen to this caller express her disdain for D.L.'s comments in the audio player, and read the full conversation in the transcript below.
RELATED: Oprah Says Old Racists "Just Have To Die" To Further Our Nation's Progress
RELATED: Texas Man Denied New Trial Despite Evidence Of Racial Bias
RELATED: Charles Barkley Weighs In On Racism And "Locker Room Culture"
DL HUGHLEY: Hey Cheryl, how are you?
CALLER: Well, I was fine, the, uh … I'm a little disappointed in you.
DL HUGHLEY: Oh, don't worry. There's plenty of, the day's young, I'll disappoint a lot of people, but what are you disappointed about this time?
CALLER: Well, you know, I liked you as a comedian, but you're not being very funny the last couple of days.
DL HUGHLEY: Okay.
CALLER: You know, yesterday you made comments agreeing with Oprah that racist people needed to die in order for racism to stop.
DL HUGHLEY: I believe that's true.
CALLER: Well, you know, I think you were being a little racist today yourself.
DL HUGHLEY: And eventually one day I'll be out of here, but what is it, what did you think that I said that was particularly egregious to you?
CALLER: Well, you were talking about them trying to propose a bill to castrate men that were raping girls younger than 12 and you were going on about this, and you said you did not trust our legal system because …
DL HUGHLEY: I do not.
CALLER: … because it was a bunch of white men making the decisions.
DL HUGHLEY: I don't know that I said that, I don't know that I said that.
CALLER: You don't know that you said that? I heard it on the radio, I wasn't hearing things.
DL HUGHLEY: I don't – okay, let me be clear so we can understand what I am saying. I do not trust the judicial system. I think the judicial system …
CALLER: Well, I don't trust the judicial system either, black or white.
DL HUGHLEY: The annals of the judicial system …
CALLER: You didn't say you didn't trust the judicial system, you said you didn't trust the white men making decisions on this.
DL HUGHLEY: Then that would probably be accurate.
CALLER: You said it's a bunch of white men.
DL HUGHLEY: That would probably be accurate, because I'm telling you that most of the people who are the judges, the prosecutors, the police, what are they?
CALLER: You don't think there's any black men in there?
DL HUGHLEY: No, I said, what are they primarily?
CALLER: And you think you, you know, let me tell you, I am not racist. My best friend is sitting here right next to me and he is a black man.
DL HUGHLEY: There's a white dude that turns me on right now. (laugh)
CALLER: Can I finish? Are you going to let me finish?
DL HUGHLEY: Yes, yes, I am.
CALLER: I voted for Obama, not just the first time around, but the second time around.
DL HUGHLEY: Right.
CALLER: But it doesn't make me racist because I don't like what he's doing. I didn't like what Bush was doing and he was white. So because I don't like the way Obama's handling things and lying to the American public does not make me racist.
DL HUGHLEY: I didn't say that it did make you racist, and me making an assessment of …
CALLER: You are agreeing with Oprah …
DL HUGHLEY: I absolutely agree with Oprah.
CALLER: … on her comments about that.
DL HUGHLEY: Let me ask you something, everything that's wrong in this country, primarily, is done by powerful men who do not want the world to change. Who are they?
CALLER: So they're supposed to change to be like Obama and do to the American public …
DL HUGHLEY: No, no, no …
CALLER: What I have to say is if all this money that Oprah has, and I don't know what you have, I don't care, I don't think you have what Oprah has.
DL HUGHLEY: No, nobody has what Oprah has.
CALLER: If all that money would make me as ignorant as it has Oprah, then I'm glad I'm the everyday person with the everyday …
DL HUGHLEY: But the everyday person needs to understand the rules that are in place. The people who are in place. The people who want to keep this company regressed. The people who want the small, who want a small, a small amount of people …
CALLER: Do you think people today want what Obama is trying to do right now?
DL HUGHLEY: I think that we're getting into apples and oranges. Here it is. I think that there are rich powerful people, I think that the judicial system is full of people with all their prejudice, and the people who occupy those positions are primarily older white men. That's just the truth.
CALLER: You know what? I think you need to go back to just being a comedian.
DL HUGHLEY: Okay, well …
CALLER: Because I'll tell you what, you know, I was glad when Michael Baisden left because he was another one who always wanted to talk about the racist white people, but yet he wouldn't be on the radio for 30 seconds if he had brought up something racist between white people.
DL HUGHLEY: You know, I just want you to know something, I actually am Michael Baisden. I just changed my name.
Is D.L. Hughley Guilty Of Making Racist Comments? [EXCLUSIVE AUDIO] was originally published on thedlhughleyshow.com


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Nominations Being Accepted for President's Excellence Award
The search is on for excellence, and you have until Sept. 13 to submit your nomination for the fifth annual President's Excellence Award. The award program recognizes staff members who demonstrate exceptional performance in advancing the strategic goals of the university during the previous fiscal year.
Kent State University President Lester A. Lefton states that he established the award program in 2009 because of the "countless members of our university community who excel at trying to make each day better for themselves and for our students. There are many examples of the dedication our staff members bring to their jobs. Sometimes this is demonstrated through work on a major initiative, and sometimes it comes through the employee's daily, and often special, interactions with students, their colleagues and others."
The nomination form, along with detailed information on the award criteria and the nomination process, is available on the President's website. The nomination forms may be printed and mailed or submitted electronically.
If you have questions regarding the award or nomination process, please contact Geraldine Hayes-Nelson, Ph.D., executive director for HR Outreach and Initiatives, at 330-672-2901 or email@example.com.


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Product Description
Oilo's collection of gliders embraces style, comfort, and sophistication, making it the perfect glider for your nursery. Made in the USA.
Other features include a unique parallel rocking motion and a tall back for maximum comfort. Coordinating pouf footrests are available as well.
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This item ships direct from the manufacturer. Since this is a special order item there is a 8-10 week lead time for production plus 10 days shipping.
Oversize Delivery Surchage of $150 is included in the price
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OLYMPIA Sen. Pam Roach (R-Auburn) urged voters to look out for [their] pocketbooks after the state Supreme Court declared a two-thirds-vote to raise taxes unconstitutional in a 6-3 ruling released Feb. 28.
The court's determination was made based on a lawsuit filed by the League of Education Voters along with House Democrat members and other stakeholders in July 2011 challenging the constitutionality of Initiative 1035 passed in 2010.
Some critics of that decision deemed it appalling that the court chose to side with constitutional technicalities rather than the vote of the people. The ruling, prepared by Justice Susan Owens, states that the supermajority requirement is in conflict with Article II, section 22 of the states constitution, which essentially outlines the prerequisite for simple-majority rule.
The States proposed reading of article II, section 22 would fundamentally alter our system of government, and such alteration is possible only through constitutional amendment, she wrote. Washingtons government was founded as a representative democracy based on simple majority rule.
Justices Charles Johnson and James Johnson wrote dissenting opinions, suggesting that the courts shouldnt be playing politics.
In its eagerness to embroil itself in the political arena, the majority abandons any semblance of judicial restraint to declare the process of legislative enactment constitutionally infirm, wrote Justice Charles Johnson.
Republicans expressed disappointment at the ruling Thursday and predicted tax increases are inevitable, especially in a Democrat-controlled House.
We have the opening of the flood gates that will allow us to be back to where we were and having taxes increased, said Roach.
The Auburn senator has sponsored a resolution (SJR 8205) that, if passed by the Legislature and approved by voters on the next ballot, would codify a two-thirds requirement to raise taxes in the states constitution. SJR 8205 received a public hearing in the Senate Ways and Means committee Feb. 26 and was passed out of committee two days later on a 13 to 10 vote. Roach is joined by other Majority Coalition Caucus members on this proposal.
While the resolution has passed out of committee and may win Senate approval due to coalition caucus-control (23 Republicans and 2 Democrats) House leadership members Rep. Pat Sullivan (D-Covington) and Rep. Ross Hunter (D-Bellevue) have said it is unlikely that SJR 8205 would receive a hearing in the House.
Both legislators addressed concerns during a press conference Thursday that tax increases by a simple-majority-vote, which is required now under state law, does not encourage bipartisan compromise when it comes to tax issues. According to Hunter, the Legislature has passed bipartisan budget agreements the past two years, which included both revenue increases and expense reductions. Finding compromise in Washington is not a concern, he contended.
This isnt D.C. I mean, we talk to each other, Hunter said.
Amber Carter of the Association of Washington Business stated, however, that the court ruling released Thursday tosses bipartisanship to the wayside and extinguishes any hope that voters might have certainty in the fiscal responsibility of their legislators.
The court's decision Thursday and the push by select Democrats to rebuke the initiative caused some to question if representative democracy was negated.
Why in the world would a Legislature that purports to represents its citizens continue to force those citizens to go out year after year after year to collect signatures, put an issue on a ballot and have the citizens vote on it, only to then have the Legislature slowly dismantle that mandate, asked Sen. Don Benton (R-Vancouver).
In response, Gov. Jay Inslee said, The supermajority requirement gave a legislative minority the power to squelch ideas even when those ideas had majority support. That is inconsistent with our fundamental form of representative democracy.
In anticipation that the court would throw out the supermajority requirement, House Minority Leader Rep. Richard DeBolt (R-Chehalis) said Republican representatives attempted to pass a rule change that would have required a two-thirds vote to advance tax and fee related bills to third reading. Following the third reading of a bill, it can advance to final consideration, at which point the legislation moves to the opposite chamber or, if the bill has already been heard in both chambers, travels back to its house of origin to be either passed to the governor or rejected). The amendment to rules failed 52-41 earlier this session.
It serves their [Democrats] special interests more to raise taxes than it does to serve the concerns of the people of Washington State, said DeBolt.
Several cited the importance of this ruling in the context of education funding and the looming 2018 mandate set out in the Washington Supreme Court case McCleary vs. State of Washington.
The court ruling Thursday is a victory for my son...and the kids of Washington who are fighting to succeed in this state and in this world and we have been unable to provide for them the kind of education they deserve, said Rep. Laurie Jinkins (D-Tacoma).
Jinkins argued that because the supermajority would have made it more difficult for lawmakers to raise taxes, the Legislature would not be able to sufficiently address its paramount duty to adequately fund K-12 education.
But some said that using the excuse of children is just a ploy to raise taxes to satisfy special interests.
They sell the children all the time politically, said DeBolt. Youre destroying our kids future because youre going to price us out of the market and businesses are going to leave our state to go to other places.
It has long been the stance of Washington Republicans that in order to enhance the future of Washington children, lawmakers need to step out of the way of small business in hopes that more job opportunities will become available and more parents will be able to go back to work to support their children academically and otherwise.
Its not just the people were looking at but remember, said Roach, the biggest issue were looking at in the state of Washington today is the economy; the creation of jobs and whether or not we will be able to return to prosperity in the state of Washington.
The drive to make it more difficult for lawmakers to raise taxes isnt new to the majority of Washingtonians. Since 1993, four initiatives have been passed that required a two-thirds legislative majority vote to raise taxes:
Year Measure Approval Rate
1993 I-601 51 percent
2007 I-960 51 percent
2010 I-1035 64 percent
2012 I-1185 64 percent
Proponents of the supermajority requirement often reference Referendum 49 from 1998 as a fifth measure. However, the referendum was largely related to a reduction in the motor vehicle excise and other transportation funding measures. Its only real connection to the two-thirds discussion is that it would have modified certain provisions made in I-601 to prevent a reduction in the state expenditure limit when money-transfers were made from the states general fund and to financially assist local governments in implementing transportation projects, under certain conditions. The referendum was known as the Transportation Funding Act.
The most recent initiative passed last November, I-1185, was approved by all 39 counties and 44 of 49 legislative districts. Of the 3.9 million registered voters in the state of Washington, 1.9 million favored the initiative.
The measures prior to the 2010 initiative were periodically suspended and modified during the 20-year tax-initiative battle. The last three attempts were spearheaded by initiative-instigator and Mukilteo resident Tim Eyman.
In response to those who predict that voters would now see tax hikes in light of the Thursday Supreme Court ruling, supporters of the courts decision claim that throwing out a supermajority wont change anything.
Voters want us to be thoughtful, said Hunter. And were going to be thoughtful.


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Dr. Bruce Ellis
Senior Director of Professional Development
- Presentation: https://goo.gl/vNXSzc
Check out the Region 13 Instructional Coaching Conference June 26-28, 2017
The coaching/mentoring process is different for each teacher:
- Some can run with just an idea
- Others need a demonstration
- Some need you to teach a lesson with them/for them
- Is about skill & knowledge acquisition
- Content expert focusing on concrete issues
- Short term - only as long as needed
- Clear expectations and goals from the beginning.
- Mentoring is like counseling
- Relationship-oriented to address professional adn personal issues
- Ongoing - preferably more than a year
- Trust comes before sharing
Which is Best for Your Teachers?
- It depends!!!!!
Strategies for Mentoring
- Journaling - mentor doesn't necessarily look at this
- Reflection Journals - mentor responds to what the teacher has written
- Blogging
- Tweeting - You can encourage folks to lurk!
- Leaving Post-it Notes - much more personal than email!
- Post Cards - much more personal than email!
Strategies for Coaching Using Google Tools
- Create a form with a list of goals from which to choose.
- Teachers go to and complete the form. Print out the individualized plans.
- Meet with teacher and go over their plan. Begin scheduling visits.
- Continue to visit, model, and observe. Give specific feedback.
- See links to online "supplies" in Bruce's PowerPoint
- Also see links to instructions for using Google Sheets Add-on autoCrat in PowerPoint
**************************************************************************************** All original work in this post by Sandy Kendell is licensed under a Creative Commons Attribution-NonCommercial-ShareAlike 3.0 Unported License. Please see specifics on my re-use policy in the right-hand column of my blog before re-posting/re-using any of my blog content.


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This Article Originally appeared on Style Me Pretty.
Author: Laura Platt from Bright and Beautiful Blog.
Whether your wedding party is an intimate few, or a larger crew, you'll want to express appreciation for those standing by you on your big day. It's a lot of work supporting a bride and groom!
As a bride-to-be, I love thoughtful and unique ways to celebrate my bridesmaids, which is why I turned to The Wedding Shop by Shutterfly for personalized bridal party gifts. From monogrammed tote bags to wine glasses and canvas pouches, gifts from The Wedding Shop are practical and fun, for use on our wedding day and beyond. And guys: I didn't forget about you!
Scroll below for a peek at the customized gifts I created with The Wedding Shop for my bridesmaids and for my fiancé's groomsmen.
These monogrammed tote bags can hold all the essentials, including a change of clothes (and don't forget shoes, too!). I'm excited to gift these classic monogram totes to each of my bridesmaids.
I absolutely adore these etched wine glasses, perfect for morning mimosas or serving fresh fruit. I can just imagine them being put to use in our bridal prep suite!
A portable phone charger is a total lifesaver! On our wedding day, my bridesmaids can keep connected and snap photos, from morning prep to the final dance.
A cute, black-and-white striped canvas pouch can play double duty to carry day-of supplies or a mini emergency kit for last minute touch-ups.
Moving on to groomsmen gifts! How cool is this stainless steel growler? Beer aficionados will appreciate a personalized growler of their own.
I know my fiancé's groomsmen will love raising a glass (or two!) with this monogrammed pint glass. I loved being able to personalize with each guy's initial.
These etched flasks will certainly lift spirits! Each flask can feature his monogram, or a personal message for groomsmen.
The vintage map journal is a great timeless gift for guys, one he can keep at his desk or for travel.
The Wedding Shop carries all these items for bridesmaids and groomsmen, plus much more, all the way from your wedding stationery to your wedding albums and newlywed home decor. The Wedding Shop has a wide variety of bridal party gift ideas, both for guys and girls. Items can be customized with a simple click, and ordering is a total breeze — even for a large group. All items I received were neatly packaged, ready to be gifted and enjoyed. So easy! Adding a personal touch to each gift is just what I was looking for in celebrating our wedding party!


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With the continued speculation and FUD about the future of Wayland at a time when Canonical is investing heavily into their own Mir Display Server alternative, Eric Griffith and Daniel Stone have written an article for Phoronix where they lay out all the facts. The "Wayland Situation" is explained with first going over the failings of X, the fixings of Wayland, common misconceptions about X and Wayland, and then a few other advantages to Wayland. For anyone interested in X/Wayland or the Linux desktop at a technical level, it's an article certainly worth reading!
Read more at Phoronix


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Austria Travel Guide - Austria Tourist Attractions, Austria Transportation, Austria Hotels and Accommodations
Austria Island Trips features Austria Travel Guide
Austria Vacation Trips
Vacation Holiday Trips offers travel tips and information for top travel places and best destinations. We feature links, resources and large selection of budget airlines, chartered planes, sea cruises, ferries, travel agencies, land transports and attractions including beaches, medical tourism, retirement homes, historical and pilgrimage tours.
Austria Energy Politics
In 1972, the country began construction of a nuclear-powered electricity-generation station at Zwentendorf on the River Danube, following a unanimous vote in parliament. However, in 1978, a referendum voted approximately 50.5% against nuclear power, 49.5% for, and parliament subsequently unanimously passed a law forbidding the use of nuclear power to generate electricity.
Trip Holidays Austria also showcase a unique blend of travel and leisure photos and stories, updates, events and announcements about roads, shopping malls, hotels, bed and breakfast, restaurants, groceries and more. Not just a travel guide but one-of-a-kind discovery of people and places.
Austria Travel Destination
Graz Austria - Innsbruck Austria - Klagenfurt Austria - Linz Austria - Salzburg Austria - Vienna Austria
Other Austria Travel Destinations
Austria Travel Informations and Austria Travel Guide
Austria History - Political System Austria - Austria Recent Developments - Foreign Policy Austria
Energy Politics Austria - Austria States - Map Austria - Austria Highest Peaks - Geography Austria
Climate Austria - Austria Economy - Austria Currency - Austria Education - Austria Religions
Music & Sound - Literature Austria - Science & Philosophy, Economics - Arts & Architectures
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Austria Tourist Attractions and Landmarks
Burgenland Attractions - Carinthia Attractions - Lower Austria Attractions - Upper Austria Attractions
Salzburg Attractions - Styria Attractions -Tyrol Attractions -Vorarlberg Attractions - Vienna Attractions
Austria Directory & Austria Travel Information - Austria History
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Austria Political System - Austria Recent Developments - Austria Foreign Policy - Austria Energy Politics - Austria States - Austria Map
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Denmark, the Netherlands, Austria, Cyprus and Luxembourg have exceeded their milk quota
Five Member States - Denmark, the Netherlands, Austria, Cyprus and Luxembourg - exceeded their dairy quotas in 2010/2011, resulting in a super levy of about €55.57 million. Total EU production remained well below the total quota volume, despite the overrun of the quotas in these Member States. Overall EU production was 6% below the total EU quotas.
Quotas were increased by 1% in the year 2010/2011, following the decisions taken in the framework of the 2008 CAP Health Check. However, Denmark, the Netherlands, Austria, Cyprus and Luxembourg exceeded their national quotas by a total of almost 200,000 tons. Denmark and the Netherlands exceeded both their quota for deliveries to dairies and their direct sales quota, while the other Member States exceeded only their quota for deliveries. Several of the other Member States which respected their quota produced far below their respective national quota; 14 Member States recorded deliveries at least 10% below their quota.
Regarding this outcome, Commissioner for Agriculture & Rural Development Dacian Cioloș highlighted that CAP reform proposals adopted on 12 October contain various elements of flexibility which will help respond to concerns for the future. In addition, in order to address the medium to long term concerns of producers, the Commission made proposals last December to address structural issues in the dairy sector.
Each Member State has two quotas, one for deliveries to dairies, the other one for direct sales to consumers. These quantities are broken down among producers (individual quotas) in each Member State. Where there is an overrun in the national quota, a surplus levy – or "superlevy" - is payable in the Member State concerned by the producers in proportion to their contribution to the overrun during the quota year (1 April - 31 March). The levy is €27.83 per 100kg of overrun. Each year before 1 September, the Member States must report to the Commission the results of the application of the milk quota scheme over the previous period. This notification must be in the form of a complete questionnaire containing all the data needed to calculate the surplus levy.


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Kim Kardashian is a new mom--and she's as bowled over by the news as anyone.
"Can't believe it. So crazy!" Kim emailed Ryan Seacrest when he reached out to congratulate her on the arrival of her and Kanye West's baby girl.
Seacrest revealed Kim's first comments since giving birth on Saturday during his KIIS-FM morning show Tuesday. "She's very, very excited," he said, saying that he does not yet know the baby's name.
U.S. & World
PHOTOS: Celebs tweet congratulations to Kimye
Kim gave birth Saturday at Cedars-Sinai Hospital in Beverly Hills, five weeks before her due date. Sources confirm to E! News that it was a natural delivery and baby Kimye weighed "just under five pounds."
And while Kanye was right by Kim's side for the birth, not everyone in the Kardashian-Jenner household was able to make it to the hospital in time. "This was not planned. This came on very quickly," says a source, noting that, "the whole family was dispersed all over the place!"
Fortunately, though, a source says, "[the baby] is healthy and Kim is doing well...There's a great sense of relief. Everyone is very happy for her and Kim is relieved [because] this was a very stressful time."
Her good friend Larsa Pippen, who originally traveled to L.A. to spend time with her pal before she gave birth,
at the premiere of "Monsters University" Monday night that Kim is "feeling really good and excited."
Also, Pippen said proud papa Kanye West "is, like, in love with the baby," who is "so freaking cute."
--Reporting by Ken Baker


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Orcs are a race of proud warriors, battle-hardened soldiers, and fierce bandits. Originally created by the eastern shapers to serve as a sort of military and police force, the orcs have developed a strong warrior culture based around honor and service. When the shapers left, the orcs tried to form a kingdom in the east, but knew nothing of the actual arts of leadership. Eventually, angry and embittered, the orc nation disbanded. Now, the orcish warriors travel in warbands from atop the backs of dinosaurs, raiding villages and taking what they need.
Personality: Orc's lives are dominated by honor. An orc who swears an oath will lay down his life to keep his word, and dishonored orcs are known to go to incredible lengths to regain their honor. Orcs can be fierce enemies or stalwart allies, with very little middle ground. Orcs have a tendancy to be rigid in the face of any challenge, even when it would likely be wiser to compromise. Orcs enjoy combat, and will often challenge fellow warriors to competitions when there is no battle to be found. These matches come in many forms. Some prefer competitions of accuracy, favoring the bow. Others ferer the art of the sword, and challenge each other in mock duels. Still others abandon weapons altogether for tests of raw strength.
Physical Description: Orcs generally have black hair, with skin ranging from a pale yellow-green to dark gray. Males and females both stand about six feet tall, with broad shoulders and wide chests, weighting somewhere between 180 and 210 pounds. Orcs have four short tusks that just from their strong lower jaws, and reddish eyes. Both orc males and females keep their hair as long as possible, usually tying it back in a ponytail or bun. In a battle between orcs, the winner cuts the loser's hair, claiming the tail or bun as a trophy. The losers of a battle will ritually cut their own hair short and are considered shamed until it grows back to the proper length. Humble orcs, such as monks or priests, will often shave their heads as a sign of abandoning their pride. Orcs out of combat generally wear lightweight, practical clothes. However, orcs do enjoy the finer things, and if given a chance to attend a formal ball or social function, orcs will invariably choose the most colorful and shiny outfit available.
Relations: Orcs view dwarves as cowards who hide in their mountains and behind their metallic servants, refusing to show real courage. Elves on the other hand are barbarians, honorless warriors who strike from hiding, too cowardly to show their faces and fight honestly. They get along with goliaths on a personal level, but most orcs still resent the goliaths for stealing the leadership positions they believe to be rightfully theirs. Orcs adore halfling music, a talent that rarely manifests in orcish tribes. Humans get along relatively well with orcs. Beyond these, most orcs prefer to judge by the individual's action and strength.
Alignment: Orcs have a strong lawful bent, but show little preference for good or evil. Most are satisfied to simply follow orders and the demands of their honor. Orcs have a tendency to adapt to the point of view of their leaders. A tribe under an evil warlord will slowly become evil. A tribe under a good warlord will become good.
Orc Lands: Orcs don't have a proper nation of their own. They travel in warbands across the eastern plains on their saurian mounts, setting up camp for a few days or weeks at a time before moving on again. Orc camps usually consist of several dozen tents, carried from one site to another on the back of larger dinosaurs while the orcs themselves ride on smaller, swifter predators.
Language: Orcs speak orcish, a harsh, guttural language. The orc tongue is renowned for it's plurality of terms for tactical maneuvers and strikes, and many warriors learn the language while going through training.
Names: Orcish names consist of personal names, clan names, and school names. An orc is given the first two at birth. His clan name is shared among several dozen families, and can change when the clan's leaders change. The school name is earned upon his graduation from training as a warrior, and is based upon his chosen style of combat.
Adventurers: Orcish adventurers are very common. Most orcs are usually warriors, but a strong portion of them take levels in martial classes.
- +4 Strength, -2 Wisdom, -2 Charisma. Orcs are very strong, but they lack social skills and can often be somewhat oblivious.
- Medium: As Medium creatures, orcs have no special bonuses or penalties due to their size.
- Orc base land speed is 30 feet
- Darkvision: Orcs can see in the dark up to 60 feet. Darkvision is black and white only, but it is otherwise like normal sight, and orcs can function just fine with no light at all.
- +2 racial bonus on saving throws against poison: Orcs are hardy and resistant to toxins.
- +4 Racial Bonus on Ride Checks: Orcs are trained how to ride into battle from a young age
- Martial Aptitude: Select one of the following martial disciplines: Iron Heart, Stone Dragon, or Tiger Claw. You may always learn maneuvers from that discipline, you are proficient with the weapons associated with that discipline, you gain a +2 bonus to the key skill of your chosen discipline, and you know one 1st level maneuver from that discipline as for which you meet the prerequisites. If you do not have martial adept levels, you can use this maneuver once per encounter with an initiator level equal to half your character level. If you have, or later gain, levels in a martial adept class, this maneuver becomes one of your maneuvers known.
- Rapid Recovery: Orcs recover hit points, ability damage, and ability drain at twice the normal rate when resting.
- Automatic Languages: Common, Orc. Bonus Languages: Dwarven, Goblin, Gol-Kaa, Undercommon.
- Favored Class: Warblade. A multiclass orc's warblade class does not count when determining whether he takes an experience point penalty for Multicasting.


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Talib Kweli - Best & Worst of 2007
Talib Kweli discusses the Best & Worst things thats happened in the year of 2007&IP=184.108.40.206
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