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Some more housekeeping. Buttons. I used to sell them. I have credit card information from two of you, but not your names. One of you has emailed me previously, but from an address that keeps bouncing back my reply, so if you could send again me another note, with your name and address, that'd be great. Sorry for dropping the ball on this and for the delay. The other person- the one I haven't been able to figure out- should send me name and address, and the last four digits of the card used. It was in late June. Hopefully you still read the blog and haven't abandoned it thinking I've stolen your money and absconded with your rightful button. My email address is firstname.lastname@example.com. Thanks!
I was gonna do the whole normal "ride the whole way to work" thing, but I came downstairs this morning to find my bike's rear tire as flat as [geographic place that is very flat] and this was discouraging. Also, EtP (Ellie the Poodle) was a little sick (poor baby) and this delayed my leaving the house, so when I decided to take Bikeshare, I figured that I'd combine Bikeshare with Metro and make my trip multimodal. That is was about 90 degrees when I left the house also factored into my Metro decision.
I got the final bike at 15th and Independence SE. Sorry, guy who normally gets that bike. There were three showing on Spotcycle, but two people took bikes right as I turned the corner. Had there not been a bike there, I probably would've just gone home and cried for the rest of the day. That, or walk another two blocks to the next station. (For what it's worth, I'm ridiculously spoiled when it comes to all matters transportation. I live three blocks from a Metro Station where a lot of buses stop, two blocks from one Bikeshare and 3 blocks from another, and my house has a detached garage where my weekend car lives. I really need to remember how lucky I am before I opine on how others should get places). I rode up Mass, passing the guy who got the CaBi immediately before I got mine, circled Lincoln Park, where there was one CaBi remaining after 8, and then headed down Mass towards Union Station. My office is closest to the Tenleytown stop on the Red Line, so rather than take the line nearest my house and transfer at MetroCenter (ugh), I figured I'd bike two miles and avoid the transfer. I don't know if this provides any financial benefit or lessens the cost of the trip. It did allow my to add biking to my commute instead of frustrated standing around on a train platform, so that was nice. Also, I might be daisy-chaining bike trips in order to juice my numbers in the 2milechallenge. Not ashamed of that in the least. Get off your bike to tie your shoe? Pretty sure that's a distinct trip. Just saying...
The Bikeshare station at Union Station is on the opposite side of the building as the Metro entrance. Sort of dumb.
I can't tell you much about my Metro trip other than the escalator was temporarily out of service (like for 15 seconds until an employee inserted his key, twisted it and it was off again. Two keys for nuclear launch, one key for escalators) and that the train was there when I got to the platform, so there was no waiting. I don't take Metro very frequently (you know, with the bike commuting blog and such), but it always reminds me of a waiting room at a doctor's office. And not just because everyone is suffering from some sort of malady and looks miserable. I think it's just that feeling of people killing time until the next thing happens, namely their exit. It's a place and space where time passes, but it's nothing time. I guess it's good for reading. I listened to the Slate Hang Up and Listen podcast.
I exited at Tenleytown and took the Bikeshare to work, where there's also a station. It was under a mile, I think. I left the station prior to adjusting the seat. Guess I was in a hurry.
Riding home, I decided that I would also combine my bike trip with a train ride, but this time would skip the hill at the other end of my trip. The "stage profile" of my commute looks sort of like a V, with hills on both ends, so I figured I could handle the downhill part after work and use the Metro to skip the uphill part. I aimed for Farragut West.
When I take Bikeshare, I ride on the sidewalk down Massachusetts Avenue. I can't get a CaBi to keep pace with traffic, so I figure it's just better to stay out of it. At the base of the hill, I reintegrated into vehicular society. I'm pretty sure that didn't require I check in with a parole officer.
Mass to 20th to New Hampshire to 21st (should've just taken 21st initially) to the still cycle track-less L Street, which somehow seems less fraught you slower you go and then down Connecticut Avenue to not making an illegal left turn onto K to instead ride illegally on the sidewalk for half a block, so my bad. The dock is at the northeast side of the square and I docked and walked the last block to the Metro, caught the train relatively soon thereafter and took it to Stadium Armory and walked the three blocks home.
I don't have many deep thoughts to share about combining Bikeshare trips with train trips, other them it seems really convenient and I wonder if a lot of people do this kind of thing daily. Inspired by people in Sweden (no, not ABBA), I try to take all of my shorter trips (under 3 miles) solely by bike or walk. I think it's a pretty reasonable goal and I don't think you need to be a "cyclist" to do it.
Ride In & Ride Home 7/17: It Used to Be Called The Merry Wives of Saxe-Coburg and Gotha
2 comments:
- la burbujaJuly 17, 2012 9:00 PM
Cabi/Metro is a great combo. I also take Cabi to avoid having to change metro lines on the days that it is too hot, or i am too lazy, to bike the whole way.ReplyDelete
- AnonymousJuly 18, 2012 10:08 AM
Well I combined CaBi and Metro...but then I count as a tourist, right?ReplyDelete
Seriously, if/when the planets align and Seattle gets a bike share I can see it being used in tandem with our paltry little light rail system (or minuscule street car) at least for errand running around downtown...Until they add a useful bus route to my 'hood I'm still walking/riding most everywhere.
Oh, and get some tubes.
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If you prefer to make your own beer directly from malted grain instead of using a premade malt extract, you need the right supplies to ensure that everything turns out as intended. Although all grain brewing requires a bit more time and effort than brewing with a malt extract, it is well worth it because you are able to customize the entire recipe and control the grain bill.
MoreBeer!'s all-grain brewing supplies cover every part of the brewing process, which includes milling, mashing, sparging and boiling. The Braumeister Electric All-Grain Brewing System is a high-quality system that includes all of the equipment required to brew beer from scratch, and we also offer top-of-the-line systems from Blichmann and other name brands. Shop full all-grain brewing systems or individual corresponding parts, all available at MoreBeer!

subset: commoncrawl


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Biodiversity and Climate Research Centre BiK-F
Phone: +49 (0)69 7542 1855
Office: Georg-Voigt-Str. 14-16, room 3.19
Prof. Dr. Imke Schmitt
Research interests
My primary research interest is the evolution of symbiotic organisms, in particular those that form partnerships with fungi. I have been using phylogenetics and comparative phylogenetics to analyze the evolutionary history of lichen-forming fungi and their characters. Since many fungal groups produce a wide variety of secondary metabolites, I am also interested in exploring the potential of phylogenetic methods in natural product chemistry to understand the evolution of chemical characters and biosynthetic genes. Currently my lab is studying the effects of climate change on the assembly of fungal communities associated with plant leaves and roots using next generation sequencing approaches. We want to find out, if the composition of symbiotic fungal communities affects local adaptation of the plants. My work integrates a variety of disciplines, such as molecular phylogenetics, systematics, natural product chemistry, and metagenomics.


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Sam Worthington says the staggering worldwide success of "Avatar," over $2.5 billion at the box office, makes him wonder if multiple sequels will be made – and the Australian actor said he'd work with director James Cameron again for just "a bucket of fish."
"I'm starting to think we're going to do 'Avatar 3, 4, 5'" Sam told Access Hollywood's Billy Bush at the ShoWest Awards in Las Vegas on Thursday. "But that's the thing, we're only going to do it if Jim can find someone to challenge him because he's not the type of guy that just dives in lightly."
The 33-year-old actor said the innovative director could bring another groundbreaking technique to the sequels.
"Jim will only do a movie if it's a challenge for him and if he can revolutionize something," he told Billy. "I know with Jim, he has to find his own personal challenge on it. So we'll wait and see."
And Sam said he's onboard for whatever Jim asks of him – and he'll do it for close to nothing.
"I signed for a couple [of sequels] but I'll work with Jim for a bucket of fish," Sam joked.
As for Sam's new epic movie, "Clash of the Titans," which opens April 2, he said it's big on action, thrills and man-skirts.
"It's a lot of fun," he explained. "It's a bunch of guys in dresses. We're in rubber skirts killing monsters!
"I think 'Clash' is not mean to take itself too serious," he continued. "People remember the old one. It's not a homage – in a way it is – but we ramped it up to 11. Big scorpions, big monsters, a bunch of guys killing stuff!"
Related Content from AccessHollywood.com:
VIEW THE PHOTOS: The Sexy Men Of Sci-Fi
VIEW THE PHOTOS: Stars From Down Under
PLAY IT NOW: ShoWest 2010: Sam Worthington Talks Plans For 'Avatar 2'
PLAY IT NOW: 'Avatar,' LA Premiere: Sam Worthington - James Cameron 'Changed My Life'
MORE ACCESS ON THESE TOPICS: Sam Worthington - Avatar - Movies


text: The Adventure Game Engine (AGE), featured on Wil Wheaton's new tabletop RPG show, Titansgrave: The Ashes of Valkana, is now available in the Fantasy AGE Basic Rulebook. Inside, you'll find easy-to-learn rules, an innovative stunt system, 20 levels of advancement for three classes, a new magic system, and an intro adventure. A new AGE is upon us!


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Antitrust Case Filings
Antitrust Case Filings
To filter the list of cases, select desired options from the left navigation pane.
View the list of NAICS and SIC industry codes used by the Division. To view all industry codes, visit Census.gov.
Displaying 1 - 1 of 1
|Case Open Date
|Incident Date
|Case Type
|Federal Court
|Industry Code
|U.S. v. Cassady, Fuller & Marsh, et al.
|December 9, 1980
|December 9, 1980
|Civil Non-Merger
|Alabama, Middle District
|Legal Services


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CLERMONT, Fla. – A male cheerleader who claims he's been the victim of bullying attacked a classmate Thursday at their Clermont school, knocking the boy unconscious and causing him to have a seizure, officials said.
The attack happened around 12:45 p.m. at Imagine South Lake Charter School at 2750 Hartwood Marsh Road.
According to Clermont police, a student threw a shirt at the cheerleader while running on a playground, striking him in the face.
The cheerleader told police that less than a minute later, he picked up the student who threw the shirt and threw him to the ground on his head and shoulder. The student was knocked unconscious and began having a seizure, police said.
The student was taken to Arnold Palmer Hospital in Orlando and was released Thursday night, police said.
The student who was arrested said that he has been bullied and called names in the past because he's a cheerleader, according to police. He did not, however, say that the teen who threw the shirt had bullied him, according to police.
Clermont police said the cheerleader also stated that he committed a similar act to another student in January after the cheerleader was was called a derogatory name.
The cheerleader was arrested but later was released to his parents and ordered to home detention, police said.
A school representative said the school cannot comment on the incident because of the legal nature of the case. The school said it goes by the code of conduct of Lake County and will follow proper procedure.
No other details, including the ages of the students, were released.


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Opening Statement
Frank Widmann
New Jersey Securities Bureau Chief
President, North American Securities Administrators Association
September 11, 2005
NASAA 88th Annual Conference
Minneapolis, Minnesota
Good afternoon. I am Frank Widmann, NASAA President. I would like to welcome all of you to NASAA's 88th Annual Conference here in Minneapolis, Minnesota.
I also would like to say a few words as a reminder of why we are here and why we do what we do. In the wake of the recent tragedy created by Hurricane Katrina and its aftermath, our hearts go out to the people of Louisiana, Mississippi, Alabama, and Florida, who suffered or were dislocated by the storm. Our thanks go to those who took so many in.
As securities regulators it is our mission to protect people. That is based upon the fundamental responsibility of government to protect the public health, safety and welfare.
While our participation does not often involve life or death, it can involve devastation of people's lives through losses of their homes, and hard-earned life savings. I am reminded of those losses, and much worse, when I see the devastation wrought by this storm and the need for government assistance.
I am pleased by the response of our securities regulator colleagues in Louisiana, Mississippi, Alabama, Florida, Texas, and others and the cooperative spirit displayed in attempting to assist displaced investors and financial firms and their employees. I am pleased and thankful for the offers of cooperation and assistance from the NASD and the SEC. I am pleased with the NASAA family, including members and the Corporate Office, who have spent their time and energy to help their aggrieved colleagues with a goal toward protecting investors and stabilizing the system in the aftermath of the storm. I am especially heartened by the generosity of the American people and those of other countries.
However, the real message of this catastrophe is this – Americans expect their government, at all levels, to protect them, particularly when they are vulnerable. Americans expect their government to be there to provide an essential safety net – particularly in times of crisis, and even if it costs big dollars – because the fundamental role of government is to protect the public health, safety and welfare. That is our trust as state and provincial securities regulators, and that is why we approach our jobs as our mission and our cause.
However, remember that this isn't just about government. There is another piece to this equation. One of the assumptions that we live by in a civil society such as ours is that people will have access to their money, that it will be safe when entrusted to our financial institutions, and that it won't be stolen, leaving the victim with no recourse. So, in addition to the governmental responsibility of protecting the public and enforcing the law, there is a civic responsibility for those who are entrusted with the property and money of others – to treat their fellow citizens fairly and with respect. And this is why you in the industry are so important. The industry's response in a time of crisis, in a cooperative effort with government, will instill confidence in our system and be another positive milestone toward the future of our society.
We have just seen how fragile our own system can be if the social fabric is torn apart. So, I would urge all of you who are government regulators to keep pushing to protect those who need our help, and those of you who are in the industry to rise to the occasion in this time of crisis for our citizens, your customers and our American way of life.
That is what being an American is all about. Thank you.
September 11, 2005


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when it comes to the end of the year, i guess everyone starts recapturing old year, what they've done, what has changed and what has happened overall. to be honest, my life has changed a lot in 2015 and if somebody a year ago told me that i will live like this now, i wouldn't believe.
although i believe that every year - even every day - we are somehow improving, anyway in the beginning of the year we tend to make some bigger promises for ourselves, to make ourselves better the following year (but these not usually work, right? or is it only for me, haha?). so this time i'm trying to do the same believing that my resolutions will work. and i'm wishing the same for you - make all your resolutions come true, no matter when you start thinking about them, in January or in June.
and i also wanted to thank you, my readers, who read my blog even if my post are absolutely rare. i also wanted to thank all the people who were around me all year round, for all the support and love - i'm so happy to have you. it has been a lot grateful and perfect moments but also life is not life without those struggles and sadness. so thank you who survived everything with me - i love you all.
so 2016 are coming so fast with a lot of expectations, future adventures, obscurity and a bit of fear of what's going to happen then, because a lot has changed and even more is about to change.
i wish you all to have a beautiful N E W Y E A R celebration, to make year of 2016 an unforgettable experience and to make your dreams and wishes come true! wish you all joy, love and happiness! xxx
Tuesday, December 29, 2015
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Academics . Painting . Courses
Collage + Assemblage
Course No. VAT 212-312-412 Credits: 3.0
Faculty Anthony Ingrisano
Collage and Assemblage are among the most radical innovations of the early 20th century and these forms remain relevant today as sources for innovation and experimentation. Each of these forms acknowledges the fracture of contemporary life and the ongoing need for new means of expression. This course will explore the relationship between collage and assemblage and various disciplines within the visual arts including Painting, Print, and Drawing. Students will learn to discern the significantly different effects and content of the wide range of strategies these approaches encompass. Through classroom discussion, lectures, readings, critiques and studio work students will explore the possibilities available through collage and assemblage. Emphasis will be given to the historical and contemporary studio practices associated with collage and assemblage. This course is open to all students from all majors. Students will be encouraged to apply their area of expertise to the studio work.
Anthony Ingrisano
Assistant Professor | Chair of Painting
Anthony Ingrisano is an instructor in CIA's Painting and Foundation departments. Ingrisano shows with Lesley H...more
While at CIA, you'll learn from the masters through our rigorous, world-class curriculum and connect with working professionals to begin your career.


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Jointly organised by the Centre for Public Policy at the University of Melbourne, the Victorian Department of Planning and Community Development and the OECD LEED Programme
Participation in social, economic and civic life should be open to everybody. It is important to the wellbeing and prosperity of individuals, families and communities. Exclusion can mean loss of access to services, to supportive networks and to opportunities for skills and jobs, leading to poverty, poor health status, and low productivity. Social exclusion is not only a social issue but an economic issue as well.
Increasing social inclusion requires a joined-up approach that cuts across policy departments. Effective action means that the public sector should re-think the way it operates, moving from a traditional hierarchical model to one characterised by multi-sectoral partnerships and flexibility in policy delivery.
The development and nature of these partnerships and the implications for public policy will be the central theme of the Partnerships for Social Inclusion conference from 15-16 October 2008 in Melbourne.
This conference provided an opportunity for government, academics and practitioners from across Australia, New Zealand and the region to discuss current practice, as well as explore future directions. The conference was the first event as part of the OECD LEED Forum on Partnerships and Local Governance in the region. Outcomes of the conference informed orientations of the Forum work in the region over the next few years.
The conference was a collaboration between the Centre for Public Policy at the University of Melbourne, the Victorian Department of Planning and Community Development, the Australian Government and the OECD's Local Economic and Employment Development Programme.
For further information: http://www.public-policy.unimelb.edu.au/conference08/
Related Documents


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Hendersonville (North Carolina)
Hendersonville [7] is in western North Carolina. The population estimate for 2005 is 11,396 and it is 2,200 feet above sea level.
Hendersonville, NC is a small town just south of Asheville, NC. Its the perfect place to spend an afternoon or a lifetime. Hendersonville is a small community of about 12,000, with that friendly "Small Town, USA" feeling.
Downtown you'll find a thriving Main street complete with fine restaurants, homemade ice cream shops, antique stores, and lots of artists and art galleries. Downtown Hendersonville is a fantastic place to spend a day shopping with its beautiful landscaping, wide sidewalks, comfortable benches, outdoor water fountains and plenty of parking, not to mention all of the wonderful and unique shops.
Get in
Hendersonville lies 40 miles north of Spartanburg, South Carolina and 22 miles south of Asheville, North Carolina at the southern edge of the Blue Ridge Mountains. Hendersonville can be accessed from three exits from Interstate 26.
Hendersonville served by a privately owned, public use airport. The Hendersonville Airport has been in operation since 1932, and is located 2.5 miles southeast of the town.
Get around
Apple Country Public Transit - 526 Seventh Avenue East Hendersonville, NC 28793
Checker Cab Co. - 500 7th Ave E, Hendersonville, NC
Sams Cab - 729 Maple St, Hendersonville, 28792
Carolina Taxi & Ind Transportation - 537 Fitzsimmons St, Hendersonville, 28792
Get out


text:
Hahahuahahhahaha!!! I love it!
Oh my goodness, oh my goodness!! =D That last frame!
I _love_ that title!
LOVE this page! XD
The last three panels are so beautiful.
BWA! He's just THERE! O_O He's lookin' all confuzzled.
Oh, the expressions on this page are priceless!! I love the way Ben just cheerfully drafts Tess, who is all "WTF? — oh, NVRM, it's BEN, say no more." And it looks like our ghostie friend has the hots for Tess too…
I am just so waiting for her to turn her head just now and go "AAAUGH!"
I love this comic so much. The last panel is especially great.
Bahahahahahahaaaa…I love the expression on his face…as everyone else has already established. I can only imagine Tess's fantastic reaction to it. Hahahaha that's so great.
XD! I love it! The first real human like expression for Ghostie.
I'm sure someone has also mentioned his likeness to Ben- any chance of a family relation?
I love the expressions of Tess and the ghost in the last panel. Side note: I LOVE Tess's outfit!
Oh. My. Gosh. Matthew? BEST FACE EVER.
That's the Butterfield ghost but his face is indeed awesome :D
Quite frankly, he looks a little scared of Tess. o.O Poor guy!
In the next page, I want Tess to happen to glance to her left and see the ghost and totally freak out. Just because it would be awesome.
"Look, Tess, look to your left!"
I like the expression on the ghost's face. The way he's glancing at her is quite priceless, indeed. :)
lol she looks so cute! love her outfit!
on second thought, i hope she doesn't crap it when she sees the creepy ghostie-twin of ben there…
on a totally different note, the way she's looking at ben in the last panel is adorable
OH HAI. — Ghostie.
He he read this all today. Man i like this loads. Excited for whenever the next page comes :D
Tess is the cutest ever.


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Ron and Amy Jo Proctor at Weber State Universe 3D have created a "low cost apparatus for capturing stereoscopic video". I was sold at apparatus and the total cost: Only $250. Here's the shopping list.
• 2x Kodak Zx1 Digital Camcorders
• L-Shaped Extruded Aluminum
• 2x 1/4" Nylon Washers
• 3x 1/4-20 Wingnuts
• 2x 1/4-20 Panhead Machine Screws
• Tripod with Quick Release Shoe
That's it. Put everything together as shown in their page, and create 3D videos like this:
G/O Media may get a commission
For the Avatar bit, just apply generous blue powder all over your body. All of it. [Savi]


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The Federal Government will Become America's Model Employer for the 21st Century.
Recruit, Retain and Honor a World-Class Workforce to Serve the American People.
Human Resources and Security Specialists should use this tool to determine the correct investigation level for any covered position within the U.S. Federal Government.
OPM's Human Resources Solutions organization can help your agency answer this critically important question.
Developing senior leaders in the U.S. Government through Leadership for a Democratic Society, Custom Programs and Interagency Courses.
Visit this federal site to search for our regulatory notices, proposed and final rules.
See the latest tweets on our Twitter feed, like our Facebook pages, watch our YouTube videos, and page through our Flickr photos.
Welcome to the Electronic Questionnaires for Investigations Processing (e-QIP) system. e-QIP is a web-based automated system that was designed to facilitate the processing of standard investigative forms used when conducting background investigations for Federal security, suitability, fitness and credentialing purposes. e-QIP allows the user to electronically enter, update and transmit their personal investigative data over a secure internet connection to a requesting agency.
Please see the Quick Reference Guide and Frequently Asked Questions for information about the type of internet connection you need to use e-QIP, diagnostic tools for your computer and other help topics.
OPM-FIS now allows some e-QIP applicants to digitally sign their certification and release forms as part of a "Click to Sign" pilot. This pilot will support future implementation of "Click to Sign" for all OPM-FIS customer agencies. E-QIP utilizes the appropriate safeguards to ensure that the digital signature captured in the e-QIP system is legally recognized in accordance with the Federal Electronic Signatures in Global and National Commerce Act (E-SIGN) 15 U.S.C. 7001 and the Uniform Electronic Transaction Act (UETA) which is a United States Uniform Law Commission between state level governments. Public Law 105-277, Title XVII states "Releases that are digitally signed are as valid as those with handwritten signatures."
Applicants can only access the e-QIP system if they have been invited to do so by an appropriate official at their sponsoring agency. Individuals cannot pre-apply for a security clearance, nor update their security questionnaire unless granted access by an appropriate agency official.
This Quick Reference Guide is provided to assist you in completing the Questionnaires for National Security, Public Trust and Non-sensitive positions using the Electronic Questionnaires for Investigations Processing (e-QIP) system. Please follow this guide step-by-step to ensure that your questionnaire is completed properly.
e-QIP is a web-based automated system that was designed to facilitate the processing of standard investigative forms used when conducting background investigations. e-QIP allows you to electronically enter, update, and transmit your personal investigative data over a secure internet connection to a requesting agency. The requesting agency will review and approve the investigative data.
The U.S. Government conducts background investigations to determine if applicants or employees meet the suitability or fitness requirements for employment, or are eligible for access to Federal facilities, automated systems, or classified information. All persons must be properly investigated and adjudicated to be issued a credential and to be authorized access to classified information.
The scope and type of background investigation varies depending on the duties and access requirements for the position, as does the amount of time it takes to be completed. The employing or sponsoring agency is responsible for determining the appropriate level of investigation to be conducted based on current rules and procedures.
Providing the information requested on the form is voluntary. However, if you do not provide the information requested, you will not meet the requirements of the job and therefore will not be considered further. If you are already employed by the Federal government, your appointment will be terminated.
Be completely honest and forthright when answering all questions on the form. If necessary, provide clarification or explanation for how you answered a particular question in the Optional Comment section provided in e-QIP.
Be as timely as possible in completing your investigation request. You should earnestly try to meet the deadline your agency has established for you to complete this form.
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Security is of major concern whenever you're dealing with personal information. This concern has been addressed by specific Federal guidelines implemented to safeguard Personally Identifiable Information (PII). PII is defined as information that can be used to discern or trace a person's identity; and alone, or combined with other information, can be used to compromise the integrity of records relating to a person by permitting unauthorized access to or unauthorized disclosure of these records.
Several security measures have been built into e-QIP to help minimize unauthorized access to your information:
It is OPM policy to ensure that all information technology (IT) systems that collect, maintain, or disseminate information in an identifiable form have Federally mandated controls in place to protect and prevent the breach of PII. Learn more about OPM's privacy policies.
To complete your e-QIP investigation request form you will need access to a computer with an internet connection and a web browser. You should also gather the following information:
Note that for each of the categories listed above, you will need provide information covering the amount of time specified in the question on the form or to your 16th birthday, whichever is shorter. In most categories the instructions will state that you should not list information before your 18th birthday unless necessary to provide a minimum of two years history. Please follow the specific instructions for each question.
e-QIP is designed to be accessible from any computer, anywhere in the world. You can use your personal computer at home or at the office. e-QIP is compatible with most well-known browsers including Microsoft's Internet Explorer, Mozilla Firefox, and Apple Safari. The following procedures are provided as a guide for configuring your browser to work with e-QIP.
To use Microsoft Internet Explorer (IE) to access e-QIP, you must have version 6.0 or higher. To check your version, open Internet Explorer and select Help > About Internet Explorer. For the latest version and updates, visit the Microsoft website.
Note: If you use AOL, make sure you open Internet Explorer in a new window outside of AOL.
TLS and SSL encrypt the segments of network connections. e-QIP requires that TLS 1.0 be enabled in your browser. If you do not enable this setting, you will get a "Page Cannot be Displayed" error.
To use Mozilla Firefox with e-QIP, you must have version 1.0 or newer. You can find out which version of Firefox you have by selecting Help > About Mozilla Firefox. To get the latest version, visit the Mozilla website.
Although security settings may be preset to default to appropriate settings, you should verify that they are configured as follows.
Use the following instructions to configure your Safari browser to access e-QIP:
Job Access with Speech (JAWS) is a vocal screen-reading software program that enables visually impaired users of e-QIP to complete their forms. It accomplishes this by providing the user with access to the information displayed on the screen via a text-to-speech system. This system converts normal language text into speech or by means of a Braille display and allows for comprehensive keyboard interaction with the computer.
To use the JAWS Screen-Reading Software with e-QIP, you must use Internet Explorer 6.0 or later and JAWS 10.0 or later. For more information, use the JAWS resource at the Freedom Scientific website.
To begin completing the form in e-QIP, you must first access the e-QIP login screen.
Note: If an error message displays saying "Page Cannot Be Displayed," you have not enabled TLS 1.0. Go back to section 4.0 of this guide, Configuring Your Browser, for more information.
Once you have accessed the e-QIP login screen, follow the steps below to log into e-QIP.
If you entered your SSN correctly, you should next see a screen that asks you to answer three "Golden Questions." If this is your first time logging into e-QIP, the "default" Golden Questions display. These ask for your last name, city of birth, and four digit year of birth. Once you answer these correctly, the system will prompt you to create three new Golden Questions and Answers.If you have logged into e-QIP at some other time, your previously created personal Golden Questions will display.
Note: If questions other than the "defaults" (listed above) are displayed, you have either entered your SSN incorrectly, not yet been initiated in e-QIP, or exceeded the timeframe for logging in after your request was initiated. Please try again. If you continue to experience an issue, you must contact your sponsoring agency for assistance.
The first time you log into e-QIP, the three default Golden Questions display. Once you answer these correctly, the system will prompt you to create a set of three new Golden Questions and Answers.
Golden Questions are one of several security measures that have been built into e-QIP to help minimize unauthorized access to your information. Golden Questions enable e-QIP to verify your identity. Create a combination of Golden Questions for which only you will know the correct answers. It is best to use a one word answer to minimize login error.
Remember! It may be several years before you return to the e-QIP system to complete a reinvestigation, so it is recommended that you use responses that you will remember in the distant future.
It is your responsibility to remember your Golden Questions. It is also important to protect the answers to your Golden Questions. These are your "password" to the e-QIP system.
Note: If you cannot remember the responses to your Golden Questions, or if you encounter any other issues with logging in, you must contact your sponsoring agency to have them reset your Golden Questions.
After you have successfully logged into e-QIP by entering your SSN and answering the Golden Questions, you'll see the "Complete an Investigation Request" screen.
Note: If you have been sponsored by multiple agencies within e-QIP at the same time, you may have multiple e-QIP request numbers here. Make sure that you select the correct link for the request you want to complete.
Prior to entering data for the first time, you must read the instructions on the "Form Completion Instructions" screen.
You are now ready to complete your questionnaire.
Note: If you are filling out the Standard Form 86, a more detailed guide is available: e-QIP Guide for National Security Positions - SF 86.
In order to ensure the completeness of your data, a validation routine runs each time you click Save or Save/Continue. The validation routine will point out any Errors or Warnings and provide detailed instructions on how to satisfy each missing item. You will only receive validation messages if you have not answered a question appropriately.
For example: The required input for a telephone number is 10 numeric digits. If you enter anything less or greater than 10 digits, or entered a non-numeric character, the validation will reject your data and show an error at the top of the screen explaining the issue and prompting you to make a correction.
When you are satisfied that your form is complete and no validation errors are present, you have the option of reviewing a display copy of your form before certifying it. You can also review the Display copy at any time as you complete the form.
Note: Do not click the Certify Investigation Request button more than once.
Follow the instructions provided carefully below in the order they are provided. Once you certify your form, there are a few additional steps before you can release the information to your sponsoring agency.
The final release of your request is completed in several steps.
Review the instructions for printing the signature pages, attaching files and printing a copy for your records.
Print and/or save an electronic copy of the information you provided on the form for your records. If you do not have printer access, logout of e-QIP and go to a computer with printer access. Then log back into e-QIP to print the forms.
To save an electronic .pdf version of this Archival Copy, you may right-click on the link shown "Display the Archival Copy of the Investigation Request for Printing" and follow the steps to save the document in an appropriate location.
Signature Forms are a required part of an investigation as they authorize your Investigation Service Provider (ISP) to obtain necessary information. These are the forms you must sign and then send to your sponsoring agency by fax, mail or uploading via e-QIP. You must follow instructions provided to you by your sponsoring agency as to which option to choose to transmit these signature forms to them.
Note: The Fair Credit Report is a release form that must be submitted with all SF 86 forms to allow requests for credit checks and other financial data.
The attachments are the Signature Forms and any other information, such as a resume, that you would like to provide your sponsoring agency as a part of your investigation. Because there are multiple options, you must follow instructions provided to you by your sponsoring agency as to which option to choose to submit these attachments to them.Note: Contact your sponsoring agency if you have any questions or need fax numbers or mailing addresses.
Repeat to add other attachments
This will create a fax cover sheet that will include your Request Number, Contact information, and a Barcode which will route the attachment to the correct Request in e-QIP.Note: The fax cover sheet is active for only seven days. You will not be able to fax that cover sheet after that date has expired.
Important! You will not be able to access your investigation forms after you click "Release Request/Transmit to Agency." Be sure you have printed and/or attached all required forms, including signature forms, before clicking "Release Request/Transmit to Agency."
Congratulations! You have completed and submitted your investigation request.If you have any questions about your investigation status, please follow up directly with your contact at your sponsoring agency.
Your sponsoring agency will carefully review your submitted form. In the event your information or attachments are incomplete, the sponsoring agency may return the information you provided in e-QIP and contact you to make corrections to the form.
In the event you are contacted to make corrections to your form, you will need to:
Once the investigation has been scheduled, you may be contacted by an investigator to schedule your personal interview, if required. In the event an interview is neccessary, you will be required to provide photo identification, such as a valid state driver's license. You may be required to provide other documents to verify your identity, as instructed by your investigator.
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Get more detailed information about filling out the Standard Form 86 for National Security positions in the e-QIP Guide for National Security Positions - SF 86
The e-QIP system is used by a wide variety of Federal contractor and military personnel, and it is important that each user contact the appropriate personnel for assistance in completing their questionnaire. Please pay close attention to the following options:
Initial point of contact for account lockouts, challenge question resets, forgotten usernames, and other technical support should be the local security or human resource official of your sponsoring organization/agency.
For Military and DoD local security or human resource officials: The DoD Security Services (Call) Center is not able to view e-QIP or help with access to e-QIP for applicants whose e-QIP questionnaires are not initiated/managed within the Joint Personnel Adjudication System (JPAS).
Initial point of contact for account lockouts, challenge question resets, forgotten usernames and other technical support is the DoD Security Services (Call) Center at 1-888-282-7682.


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Work with XML Data Type in SQL Server 2005 from ADO.NET 2.0
One of the excellent features of the next release of SQL Server, known as SQL Server 2005, is its deep XML integration with the SQL Server database engine. This integration goes well beyond the simple relational-to-XML mapping layer that SQL Server 2000 provided. SQL Server 2005 will feature a native XML data type that will allow you to store native XML data in SQL Server itself.
Once you store XML data, you then can perform operations such as querying or updating it from ADO.NET 2.0, XML indexing, executing queries using a new XQuery language, and so on. This article explains how to work with the XML data type column in SQL Server 2005. Along the way, you also will see how to read and write values into the XML columns from ADO.NET 2.0.
Introducing XML Data Type
SQL Server 2005 introduces a native data type called XML. By using this feature, you can create a table with one or more columns of type XML besides relational columns. These XML values are stored in an internal format as large binary objects (BLOB), which enable the XML model to support document order and recursive structures. Because of the seamless integration of the XML data type with SQL Server's storage and programming models, you can query and update XML documents and even write joins between XML data and relational data in your database. SQL Server 2005 uses the same query engine and optimizer for querying XML data as it does for relational data, radically enhancing your ability to work with XML data.
With the XML data typed columns, you also can specify an XML Schema Definition (XSD) schema that restricts the XML stored in the column or makes it variable to the vocabulary described in the schema.
Using XML Data Type
The XML data type (specified as XML) is a built-in data type just like varchar, int, and others. You use it the way you'd use any other SQL Server data type. Columns, variables, parameters, and values that functions return can all use the XML data type.
You can create a table that has an XML column by using the following code:
CREATE TABLE XmlTest( ID int NOT NULL, XmlDesc xml NOT NULL) GO
Although the XML data type is a built-in data type, it also functions like a user-defined data type (UDT) by providing several methods that let you query and update data stored in an XML variable or column. You can use these methods to query, modify, and obtain scalar values from an XML document that's stored in a variable, column, or parameter.
For example, you can declare an XML variable named CustXml:
DECLARE @CustXml xml
You can declare a stored procedure that takes an XML document as a parameter:
CREATE PROCEDURE GetData @CustXml xml AS --- Stored Procedure Code goes here GO
Now that you understand how to declare XML data type columns, variables, and parameters, let's study the code that is required to read and update values in an XML data type column from ADO.NET.
Saving Values into an XML Data Type Column
Now that you have a clear understanding of the XML data type in SQL Server 2005, you can create an ASP.NET page that saves information into an XML data type column by using the values entered by the user. For the purposes of this example, create a new Web site by selecting File->New Web Site from the Visual Studio 2005 menu. In the New Web Site dialog box, click Browse and make sure Local IIS is used to store your files. Figure 1 displays the screen you'll see.
Click here for a larger image.
Figure 1: Create a New Web Site with Visual Studio 2005
Once you specify the virtual directory information in the Choose Location dialog box, click Open to bring up the New Web Site dialog box and click OK. Before creating the page, you must first create a table that the user will populate with the values he or she enters in the ASP.NET page. To create the SQL Server table, select Server Explorer from the View menu. In the Server Explorer, right-click on the Data Connections node and select Add Connection from the context menu. This will bring up the Connection Properties dialog box, in which you will need to specify the connection information. Once you specify the connection information, click OK. Now right-click on the Tables node in the Server Explorer and select Add New Table from the context menu. In the table definition screen, enter the table information shown in Figure 2.
Click here for a larger image.
Figure 2: Table Definition Screen Where Table Information Is Entered
After specifying the columns, save the table definition as XmlTest. As you can see, the XmlTest table has two columns: an ID column that represents a unique identifier and an XML column that stores XML-based content. Now that you have created the table, create a new ASP.NET page named XmlDataTypeSave.aspx by selecting Add New Item from the Web Site menu. Once the page is created, modify the code in the page to look like the following:
<%@ Page Language="C#" ValidateRequest="false" %> <%@ Import Namespace="System.Data" %> <%@ Import Namespace="System.Data.SqlClient" %> <%@ Import Namespace="System.Data.Sql" %> <%@ Import Namespace="System.Xml" %> <%@ Import Namespace="System.Data.SqlTypes" %> <!DOCTYPE html PUBLIC "-//W3C//DTD XHTML 1.1//EN" "http://www.w3.org/TR/xhtml11/DTD/xhtml11.dtd">    <title>Xml Data Type Save Demonstration</title>   <form id="form1" runat="server">
 <asp:Label ID="lblID" Runat="server" Text="ID:" Width="134px" Height="19px"></asp:Label> <asp:TextBox ID="txtID" Runat="server"></asp:TextBox>

 <asp:Label ID="lblXmlDesc" Runat="server" Text="Xml:" Width="134px" Height="19px"></asp:Label> <asp:TextBox ID="txtXmlDesc" Runat="server" Width="308px" Height="82px" TextMode="MultiLine"></asp:TextBox>

 <asp:Button ID="btnSave" Runat="server" Text="Save Values" Width="118px" Height="30px" OnClick="btnSave_Click" />
 </form>
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This article was originally published on September 10, 2004
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F=mA(Force = mass x acceleration)
As there is an inverse relationship between mass and acceleration, mass could be interpreted as the tendency to stay in the same space. You might say larger mass increases attraction, and this is true in a way, but what you are attracting is objects of a similar nature, in similar space, to what currently is, and that may not be your preference, just where you happen to be. Lower mass and higher acceleration is better for unpreferential spaces. Higher mass and lower acceleration is better for preferable spaces. Acceleration is increased through going within, or not actively moving outwards and partaking in actions based on intentions; this is also assisted by creating space between you and the objects in your reality.
Objects exist in space. To give space between yourself and the objects in your reality is to allow freedom of change for those objects. Objects inherently fall into place based on the nature of the space, so allowance for change of objects means that you are open to change in the space that you occupy. Intentional actions create lots of outward momentum, and since reality is INHERENTLY circular, this creates many large circular loops, thereby increasing mass, thereby increasing your tendency to stay in the same space. Losing intention is assisted through decreasing the amount of attention that is focused externally. Not paying attention to external happenings, and not having intentions in relation to externals, creates space, gives the external freedom of motion, which increases your tendency to change the space you occupy, or increases acceleration.
This increased acceleration allows for greater freedom, through greater allowance, but there remains the issue of individual flavor, personal preferences. Whatever mass you do have, and there will always be mass, will have a certain signature to it. This signature is its tendency towards some particular space. Intention, particularly intentional actions, creates mass, whose signature is of its own essence. Its essence is defined by the space it occupies, or the circumstances surrounding it. So, through focusing on things and acting out intentions that are consistent with your preferences, you work those preferences into the signature of your mass, which is your tendency to occupy a certain space. Through, in non-preferential circumstances, losing focus and intention, you remove those from your mass-signature, thereby reducing its tendency to be a part of your reality. Simultaneously, this non-intention and non-focus increases acceleration, which increases your ability to shift through spaces.
Tag Archive: processing
F=mA(Force = mass x acceleration)
As long as there are beings of the hive mentality, there must necessarily be a hive. History consists of power structures and social structures intended to draw in and pacify un-evolved individuals. These were created by evolved individuals, of higher levels of consciousness. An evolved individual has little use for structures, individually. These structures are necessary for much of the population, however, so they are created. As history progresses, new individuals appear who transcend the hive, and through them the hive self-destructs, and a new hive comes into existence(Foo Fighters – Walk "Do you remember the days, we built these paper mountains, and sat and watched them burn").
Most people need structure, or they will be confused and without any sense of direction. So structure has been created, for their own benefit. Every structure created in this world was intended to self-destruct, and it will be so. The time is very soon, and the thought of a 'new age' is widespread, although at this time it is seen as somewhat of a fantasy. The time is coming that the system in its entirety will truly come down, to be replaced by a new one that is more suitable to individual evolution(Foo Fighters – Walk "Still inside, a whisper to a riot").
Consider social and power structures to be walls put up by evolved individuals, to give themselves freedom. They come into existence through them, and cannot disturb them. The masses work within their framework, but they are reflections of the evolved individuals, and so merely serve as a barrier between them and any possible disturbances. Endless bureaucracy creates perfect freedom for the individual the structures are created through. These individuals can continue their evolution, and their refinement of their own 'perfect reality,' while the rest of the people work within the framework of the hive.
Singularities create worlds. Each singularity has their own world, their own reality. Until you awaken your inner singularity, you are occupying someone else's world, though your singularity is always reaching out to you. The singularity is the ultimate state of non-duality. The singularity leads you to your own world, what I have called 'the perfect reality.' It is inevitable. It has been set into motion.(Broken Bells – The High Road "It's too late to change your mind") The singularity that you are, that which has or is its own world, is within, not without. A singularity comes about through 'high gravitational pull,' and is 'infinitely small and infinitely dense.' You cannot possibly find the singularity by going outwards, only by going within. Through going within you increase your attraction, and more and more you will see the singularity without, but that is a reflection of within.
When we think of the world, it can seem so large that we feel miniscule and irrelevant. When we think of the pervasiveness of culture and celebrities, this can make us feel particularly irrelevant to the world, when we see how far-reaching the work of certain individuals are. The sense is that in the modern world there is a never before seen power and pervasiveness of culture and its icons, which consequently renders us an irrelevant nobody in the cultural machine. Now consider your own conceptualization of culture, mass media, music, movies, etc. You may say we have become over-obsessed with these things, causing us to by and large fit within pre-determined national or global molds. But I say to you that this is not true, but rather this represents the unparalleled evolution of the individual consciousness, simply not yet understood.
I, and some others who speak of spiritual matters, talk about how our reality is a construction of our own consciousness. That is to say that our reality is created by our own consciousness, and is itself our own consciousness interacting with itself through apparent individualization. If we are to be consistent with our understanding, this necessarily includes this massive cultural system we feel trapped within. Music, television, movies, etc. that reach millions upon millions of viewers are your own consciousness reaching a never before heard of audience, having a never before heard of range of influence. We're evolving, and this modern phenomena of mass cultural influence is a testament to the evolution of our own consciousness. If you are able to penetrate the 'illusion,' and see clearly, you will see that culture is the play of your own consciousness, working itself out on a mass scale. You cannot be trapped or disempowered in any way. In fact, if this is truly seen, all repression you have ever felt is removed, and you will feel empowered beyond what you have ever imagined. Nothing you perceive is beyond your own personal range of influence; what you perceive is the result of your range of influence.
Welcome to Lila, the play of reality that Hindus speaks of. One should not confuse 'external' perceptions as being necessarily calls to action for your body or mind. These are simply 'meaningless' projections of the energies existing within your consciousness, being projected as external perceptions so as to evoke a response from you. This is Lila, the play. Learn to see this play as being literally playful. It is playful because your highest consciousness knows the totality of signals/symbols you have accumulated over your existence, and is able to see trends in the way that you react to certain things. The Universe exists so that meaning may be given to it, and your highest consciousness facilitates the Universe's desire for meaning by giving you objects of perception it believes will draw a reaction out of you, through which meaning will be created. This is a playful game, because it projects these symbols and perceptions into your reality simply because it knows you are likely to react, and give meaning to it, despite the fact that it knows that these meanings do not truly exist.
Now the Universe is not particularly concerned with what meaning it is given. This is a very significant point. It simply wants meaning, and whatever meaning you tend towards will be facilitated through perceptual events. Your ability to give meaning to reality is the same as your ability to create reality. As I say, your reality is designed to provoke you into reacting and giving it meaning. If you are given to reacting to mundane and common things, reality will give you more mundane and common things of like nature. If the mundane and common nearly escapes your attention, reality will become more creative in its attempting to provoke a meaningful response out of you. It will appeal to higher, more creative, aspects of your consciousness. As you go higher, and maintain the focus of your consciousness on higher and more creative meanings, reality will reflect more of it. Keep your 'head in the clouds,' for the higher your interests, and the less concerned you are with the lower and mundane, the more reality will conform to those higher interests, in terms of the external perceptions it provides. Reality is designed to give you objects to project meaning onto. The better you become at creative projections, the more creative your reality will get, and the more control you can have in its design.
Pay attention to the emotions that you feel, the resulting actions, and the overall results in your life. At the outset, do not repress negative emotions, if you do not truly understand their harm. This will just move them into the subconscious, where they will, in a subtle way, be within everything that you do, and will gain power over time. So the idea, at least at first, is not to force a change within yourself. Rather, the idea is to pay close attention to what you feel, what you do as a result, and what happens as a result. Simply be aware, pay attention. If you do this, you will undoubtedly see the destruction in negative emotions.
You get angry, your anger comes out in your words and actions, conflict results, and then you are left feeling even worse than at first. Only when you can see this, truly see this with clarity, can you begin to enact real change within yourself. When you can see the harm, both internal and external, that results from negative emotions, abandoning negativity is no longer an issue of moral obligation. It is simply a pragmatic approach based on rational observation. Simple harm reduction, not only for others but for yourself. Now when you see these same negative emotions arising in yourself, emotions that you have seen the negative results that follow, you can logically see that it is best not to act on them. I am not speaking of repression here, as the results I am speaking of cannot come about through repression, but rather true understanding.
Now when these emotions arise, the focus shifts to understanding, rather than reactionary expression. If you are able to apply the knowledge you have gained to this arising of negative emotions, the fire behind it should already begin to cool. You will likely still feel some negativity, and that is ok, in fact it is good for now, but you will have more control. Your rational mind will be functioning again. Now you should be with your emotions, not try to escape them. Rather, your approach should be not to act outwardly based on these emotions, which would only serve to keep that cycle of unwanted negativity in motion. You may feel some negativity, but you now know that acting on it will only make you feel worse in the end, and ultimately you want to transcend these unwanted emotions.
Imagine one wave that is of a high vibrational frequency, and another that is of a lower frequency. Imagine that both of these waves take up the same space. If you were to trace the motion of the higher-frequency wave, you would find that it intersected with the lower-frequency wave during a certain fraction of its own motion. Let's say 10%, but the specific number is arbitrary and irrelevent. If we consider that energy travels through discrete jumps between information bits, we can say that the slower wave intersects 10% of the information that composes, or is produced by, the higher-frequency energy-source. To further our understanding of the ideas being proposed, let us also consider that information bits are absolutely raw and pure; this means that the way that information is actually perceived is entirely relative to the consciousness, or energies, of the individual who is perceiving it. In other words, this raw information DOES exist, in reality, but any perception of it an individual might have is constructed by hir own individual mind.
Now given this energetic nature of everything, let us say that an individual reality is its own basic energy-frequency, and it is populated by individuals, things, and perceptions that are consistent with that frequency. Given this nature of reality, let us say that the high-frequency energy wave previously spoken of is a very advanced reality, in terms of its levels of consciousness or in whatever sense resonates best with you. This reality would be populated by individuals of this same level, and they would be engaging in activities and producing things that were also of that same level. Remember that this reality takes up the same space as the lower frequency reality, as these different realities are simply the different energy-frequencies I originally spoke of. Sticking with the arbitrary difference of frequency I chose earlier, 90% of their activity would be essentially invisible to inhabitants of the lower frequency reality. It would be impossible to register in the mind of an individual who was of that lower frequency. First let this fully register in your mind, and then let's move on to the logical consequence of this, which is found within that point but must be considered separately from it. 10% of their activity, or the information found within this reality, would be visible to this lower frequency reality.
Now remember, this information would be absolutely raw and pure; HOW it manifested in an individual's reality would be entirely dependent on hir own mind. In our terms, it might come through as certain songs and musicians and their music videos. This is if we're looking at it in terms of music, which I feel is a very significant way of looking at all of this, because it is so directly energy, in that the songs are sound-waves, and the music videos are light-waves. In another sense, it might manifest as some author, or even some random person online(). The point being, this 10%, or whatever the case may be, of information that drips down to you from these higher-vibrational realities will manifest in whatever way makes the most sense to you, in terms of your own view of reality. If you don't pay attention, you might not even notice it at all. This information would essentially come from this higher-vibrational reality, and could be looked at as a transmission to you and your reality from that reality. It may be useful to think of higher-vibrational realities as future realities, and you could then look at these transmissions as messages from the future leaking into your past reality, calling you to itself. Since time itself is relative, your ability to soak in and integrate these transmissions would chart your potential course to these realities, and how much 'time' it would take to get there. The more you allow yourself to integrate these vibrations, the more things that are of that frequency could come into your reality, and the closer you could get to that reality.
The Message: Advanced future realities are calling out to you. They are attraction points, and they are attempting to draw you into themselves. Pay attention, and trek the course to these wonderful realities that await.
The basic function of the self is to find problems, or imperfections. Therefore, self-hood invariably results in anxiety. This is really an issue of identification, because if you can look at it from a perspective that is free of identification, you could re-state, in another way, that the function of the self is to innovate and find improvements. This non-self, the Ocean which the self is a drop within, benefits from the anxiety and dissatisfaction created by the infinite variations of self-hood, by means of its experiencing all of the innovations and improvements created by the various selfs within its Self, being unattached to it all. The Ocean experiences the solution within every problem. The separate self, however, moves from one dissatisfaction to another. It creates a dilemma, and then either solves it or does not solve it. If it is not solved, you will either continue to dwell on it, or that problem will instead become a dissatisfaction within your subconscious, and your conscious mind will find a new problem to worry about. If it is solved, your mind will seek out new imperfections, and the process will repeat. Ultimately, the problem of never-ending anxiety comes back to the self. The self, by its nature, can never be satisfied. It must be given up, but this is not a negation. Rather, this is fulfillment beyond the capabilities of the self.
The self seeks to possess. But a thing can only possess something smaller than it. We must, instead, be possessed by something much larger than us. Call this God, call this Love, or call this the Ocean which we are but one drop within. Whatever you want to call it, dissolve yourself within it, and be taken over completely by it. Let no remnants of your self remain. When you are dissolved, you are still not the whole ocean; where, then, will you go? The energies, or the water droplets, sort themselves out perfectly, without each individual drop needing to do anything. The drop trying to do something, in fact, puts it in disharmony with the whole ocean. You cannot be fulfilled when you are in disharmony with the whole. When the self is dissolved in the ocean, when your energies become a part of an infinitely flowing energy-field, you become a part of an incredible harmony, and the whole sorts you perfectly within itself. This leads to fulfillment beyond what you are capable of, or can even conceive of really. There is no need for fear of losing the things which you perceive to be desirable functions of the Self; when you allow yourself to be possessed and sorted by the whole, it naturally aligns you according to your True Will. Your True Will is in line with the whole, and it is what you REALLY want anyways; it is better than the ideas conceived of by your self, or ego. But only when you are out of the way can your True Will come to fruition.
If we come to realize that it is all energy, then all of these various differentiations, such as planetary movement and movement throughout the galaxy, down to quantum events, are just semi-arbitrary ways of looking at our True Nature as Energy. We think of ourselves as being 'bound to the earth' in its gravitational field. We do not realize that all mass, and all energy, produces effects in gravity fields. We are interacting in a shared energy field, with our respective energy levels. Brute size plays a part in energy levels, but it in no way is the sole factor. Think of a black hole. A Singularity. These are the most powerful energies there are, and they are very small. Our body is just relative mass in a field of relativistic energy. All size-scales are arbitrary, in the sense that the same principles work at all scales. As the planets do, as quantum particles do, we do.
Your energy level creates a field of consciousness around you, as what one might call 'gravitational mass.' This determines the amount of space you get, which determines the range of your consciousness' ability to work within itself. This aspect of consciousness is a big part of why physics and science has been missing out on some of these things, in its youthful understanding of energy. In our most early stages of understanding energy, in terms of tangible experience, we have mostly saw energy as it directly relates to a physical mass, such as our body. We do not take in the intangible aspects of consciousness, and this causes us to miss the whole thing. Through tapping into the power of our consciousness, we can raise our energies, which affects our range of influence in gravitational fields. We are no way limited by our being 'organisms' on a 'planet.' We ourselves, just as the planet, are made up of many smaller entities, of different types; the same is true with these smaller entities themselves, as well as with larger scales throughout the Galaxy and Universe. Both of these are arbitrary distinctions based on size, which is relative, and the way we label and conceptualize these things implicitly contain various conclusions within themselves, none of which have any basis in reality, other than the results of our own point of view.
The essence of life, in physical-energetic terms, is electrical-chemical reactions. Reality is constructed, and organisms interact through, chemical interactions charged by electricity. This entire world of sensory-chemical information is generally ignored, and left to the subconscious mind. It is within the range of our total consciousness, though; we can become perceptive to this world. You must pay careful attention to all sensory perceptions and internal or external feelings. Through noticing more and more subtle interactions among these things, you will become perceptive to this communication network. It exists within yourself, with other humans, as well as with the plant world. You can now take in, interpret, or send out energy-tones. This will create the 'life' or characteristics, of your internal programming.


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Guggul Commiphora wightii
Guggul is a flowering plant in the family Burseraceae. It is commonly grown in India and thrives in poor conditions and dry soil.
The resin from the guggul tree has been used as a key component in Ayurveda and Indian culture for thousands of years. This has created a high demand and the slow growing tree suffers from over harvesting making the guggul tree an increasingly endangered species.
At Pukka we are privileged to be working with a pioneering project in Rajasthan cultivating organically certified guggul. This is quite a challenge as the shrubby tree takes eight years to reach maturity.
Despite its low yields the work is worth it as the oleo-gum-resin is of a premium quality, glowing with its soft-red-translucence.
To find our more visit our article on endangered ayurvedic herbs


text: Another great 2A video for our talking points: Constitutional Scholar on PBS http://www.pbs.org/newshour/rundown...understood-by-a-second-amendment-scholar.html This is a great example of a constitutional scholar explaining the constitutional context for why an AWB can not work. Better yet it is on a respected PBS program and is very honestly handled. We can take each of these points and incorporate them into our letters and discussions on the 2A/AWB.


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Stylus For iPad and Capacitive Touchscreens
Griffin's Stylus is a balanced pointer with a soft rubber tip designed to mimic your finger (at least, as far as your touchscreen is concerned). The stylus keeps your touchscreen free of fingerprints and smudges as it gives increased control over any touchscreen operation. Perfect for sketching, drawing and photography apps, it includes an integrated clip for your pocket or pencil loop.
- High-sensitivity point won't scratch or smudge your touchscreen
- Omni-directional: great for right- and left-handed writers
- Integrated clip
- Use with any app for greater comfort and control
iPhone 3G/3GS iPhone 4 iPhone 4S iPhone 5 iPhone 5c iPhone 5s iPad iPad 2 iPad 3 iPad 4th gen. iPod touch 3rd gen. iPod touch 4th gen. Kindle Fire Kindle Fire HD 7" (2012) Kindle Fire HD 8.9" (2012) Kindle Fire HDX 7" (2013) Kindle Fire HDX 8.9" (2013) Kindle/Kindle Touch Samsung Galaxy Note II Samsung Galaxy Tab Samsung Galaxy Tab LTE 10.1 Samsung Galaxy S3 Samsung Galaxy S4


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See a complete inventory of homes available in the Stateline area, find an agent and get all of the information about buying and selling a home in the Rockford area that you might need anytime; night or day at dickersonnieman.com!
Some Important Facts We Want You to Know About Dickerson & Nieman Realtors:
- With over 140 agents, Dickerson & Nieman is the Rock River Valley's (Winnebago, Boone and Ogle Counties) largest real estate firm.
- Dickerson & Nieman is where a majority of this area's top producing and award winning agents work.
- We are independent. We are not part of a national franchise. We are locally owned and we have been serving the real estate needs of thousands and thousands of people over the last fifty years.
- Our agents attend weekly business meetings where they are informed of all that is happening in our market. We bring in community and industry leaders regularly to speak to our agents. Ongoing training and education is mandatory at Dickerson & Nieman.
- Each week after business meetings, Dickerson & Nieman agents at each of our offices actually tour all of the new Dickerson & Nieman listings in their area. For sellers, this is like having many private showings. These tours allow our team of agents to become familiar with your property so they can quickly let their buyers know that your home is on the market.
- We believe in the need to advertise and market our listings. Dickerson & Nieman currently spends almost a half million dollars annually promoting our listings.


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Saturday, February 9, 2013
drunk blondies!?
Hey did you guys have a snowstorm? We sure did. You know what goes awesome with snowstorms? Making sure you have delicious treats xto eat while you're snowed in. We've got 36" here in Connecticut and I haven't seen a single plow yet. Looks like we're trapped! At least this storm we have electricity. I was afraid we'd lose power and be very very cold like the last big storm.
This is a delicious snack and makes a bunch, so is a good treat for when you're snowed in for a while or have a bunch of people around.
Drunk blondies
From the Back in the Day cookbook via Serious Eats, slightly edited
2 c rice flour mix
1 t baking powder
3/4 t xanthan gum
1/4 t salt
2 sticks melted butter (we used 1 1/2 and 4 T olive oil)
2 c packed brown sugar
2 room temp eggs (run them under warm water)
2 T vanilla (we weren't messing aroung)
2 T whiskey (or booze of your choice)
a package of good chocolate chips
Preheat the oven to 350 and line a 9x13 pan with foil or parchment and grease. Mix together the flour mix, baking powder, xanthan gum and salt. In another bowl, mix the butter and brown sugar. Beat in the eggs, vanilla and whiskey, then stir in the flour mix and the chocolate chips. Spread into the pan and bake 20-22 minutes. The top will get all delicious and crackley and the insides will be a little gooey still, like great chocolate chip cookies.
Cool completely and devour.
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Home › Classroom Resources › Lesson Plans
Lesson Plan
The Mysteries of Harris Burdick: Using Illustrations to Guide Writing
|5 – 9
|Lesson Plan Type
|Standard Lesson
|Estimated Time
|Seven 50-minute sessions
|Lesson Author
Urbana, Illinois
Mysteries are a great way to hook students into writing about fictional happenings. In this lesson, students engage themselves in The Mysteries of Harris Burdick by examining the illustrations in the book and choosing one for which to create a Mystery Cube and then a creative writing piece. Finally, students present their mysteries to the class and allow students to guess to which illustration their mystery corresponds.
- The Mysteries of Harris Burdick by Chris Van Allsburg (regular or portfolio/poster-size edition)
- Mystery Cube: This tool is used to help students develop outlines for their own
mystery stories.
In "Literacy in the Arts," Peggy Albers argues that "if we want children to represent meaning visually, musically, and/or dramatically, along with their written texts-in other words, to create a semiotic system-we have a responsibility to teach them how to create meaning in many sign systems" (8). Albers' work provides useful theoretical background to support offering students the opportunity to connect art, existing text, and their own writing in the classroom.
The NCTE Position Statement on Multimodal Literacies supports Albers' claims, noting that the "[i]ntegration of multiple modes of communication and expression can enhance or transform the meaning of the work beyond illustration or decoration." The implication for teachers and the students in their classrooms is the need to study and produce an "interplay of meaning-making systems."
Further Reading
Albers, Peggy. "Literacy in the Arts." Primary Voices 9.4. (April 2001): 3-9.
NCTE Executive Committee. 2005. Position Statement on Multimodal Literacies. Web. November 2009. http://www.ncte.org/positions/statements/multimodalliteracies.


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Despite being only about 330 miles across, the asteroid Vesta features some of the biggest cliffs in the entire solar system. This new image from NASA's Dawn probe gives us one of the most striking looks yet at Vesta's cliffs.
The cliff seen at the center of the image is about twelve miles high. That's more than twice the height of Mount Everest, but these cliffs are just on the second largest object in the solar system, not Earth. On our planet, a proportionally large cliff would be nearly 300 miles high. The exact origins of these cliffs aren't known for certain, but a NASA astronomer explains one dramatic possibility:
Pictured above near the image center is a very deep cliff running about 20 kilometers from top to bottom. The image was taken by the robotic Dawn spacecraft that began orbiting the 500-kilometer space rock earlier this year. The topography of the scarp and its surroundings indicates that huge landslides may have occurred down this slope. The scarp's origin remains unknown, but parts of the cliff face itself must be quite old as several craters have appeared in it since it was created.
This image was taken by NASA's Dawn spacecraft as part of its high altitude mapping survey of the asteroid, and the next step for the probe will be to spiral down to a lower orbit to measure Vesta's gravitational field. After that, Dawn will begin its long journey towards the largest object in the asteroid belt, not to mention its only dwarf planet, Ceres.
Via NASA.


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So how about those instance maps guys?
I finally hit "M" while in an instance, and I have to say the wait was worth it… Well maybe not such a long wait, but it is still awesome to both get an instance map and see my position and my parties position real time.
Just Awesome!
The only change I want is to include this for all those bloody caves and buildings that are scattered across the world.
Nothing more frustrating than trying to find my way out of a stinking cave, that is displayed in miniature on my minimap, but when I hit "M" I get the world map.
Anyway, Begging Gnomes can't be choosing Gnomes.
Gnomer and Out!
This work is licensed under a
Creative Commons Attribution-Share Alike 3.0 Unported License.


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Pitt student suspected of costly spray paint vandalism at Cathedral of Learning
WRC written in graffiti on University of Pittsburgh's landmark building
The beauty and history of the Cathedral of Learning are part of Pittsburgh's identity, but police say one of the University of Pittsburgh's own students is responsible for causing thousands of dollars in damage to the famous campus building.
An affidavit states that a witness saw 21-year-old Daniel Khan-Yousufzai using blue and black spray paint on the floor of the common area in the 42-story Cathedral and under a bench early Saturday morning.
The size of the damage is reportedly 12 feet by 4 1/2 feet. The letters WRC were sprayed, but the connotation was not immediately clear. Facilities management workers estimated the cost of repairs at $65,000 to $100,000.
"It's such a beautiful symbol of our campus," student Kayla Wetzel said. "I was appalled when I heard someone was actually taking the time to spray paint it."
When police arrested the man, they noticed black and blue spray paint on his hands, shoes and pants, according to the affidavit. An online court docket shows that he's scheduled for a hearing this week on charges that include felony counts of criminal mischief and institutional vandalism.
"It kind of breaks my heart that the cathedral was vandalized," student Erin Harrington said.
A man who identified himself as Khan-Yousufzai's father answered the door at his listed address Monday night and said, "Basically, I just want him to get out of this jam and stay in school."
Two students said the building will be lit Tuesday night for World Autism Awareness Day, and they feel bad that the event with all of its advance planning is being overshadowed by the vandalism incident.


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Wednesday, December 26, 2012
Former Vipers Defenceman Morgan Elects Free Agency:
Nyjer Morgan's Player Profile:
Morgan, a Brewers star in '11, elects free agency
Loe declines Triple-A assignment; Crew outrights Ishikawa
By Adam McCalvy / MLB.com | 11/02/12
MILWAUKEE -- Nyjer Morgan has a new alter ego: Tony For Hire.
"It is a place that I'll cherish the rest of my life," Morgan told MLB.com via text message. "Fans, families that embraced the Plush movement in 'the Mill' are the greatest. I thank them and the Brewer organization for giving me a great opportunity."
The Brewers also cut ties Friday with reliever Kameron Loe and first baseman Travis Ishikawa.
While not at all unexpected, it was Morgan's departure which stood out.
"I know he's going to hook on with somebody," Brewers general manager Doug Melvin said. "He's still a very good ballplayer and he has the ability to help a team. It's time to give Logan an opportunity, time to take a look at [fellow prospect] Caleb Gindl. We let some young pitchers have that chance [in 2012].
"I'll always look back at what Nyjer gave us [in 2011]. A good person, good competitor. He handled this year great. He's a real pro. Sometimes there might be the perception that he's maybe too 'active,' or whatever you want to say, but he's a guy who comes game-ready every time."
Morgan batted .239 in 2012 while falling behind Carlos Gomez on the Brewers' depth chart in center field, but will be remembered for a sensational 2011 in which he batted .304, collected one of the biggest hits in the Brewers' 44-year history and became a beloved character in Milwaukee for the same traits that made him so reviled over the years in places like Miami and St. Louis.
Morgan chalked up his more "active" moments to enthusiasm for a game he embraced late. Hockey was his first love, a rare choice for a kid growing up in San Jose, Calif., who would travel all the way to Canada to pursue the sport. But eventually, baseball called, and after being a 33rd-round Draft pick by the Pirates in 2002, Morgan made it to the Majors for brief stints in '07 and '08 before sticking in '09.
The Pirates traded Morgan to the Nationals that June, and the Nats traded Morgan to the Brewers in 2011 for midlevel outfield prospect Cutter Dykstra two days before Milwaukee broke Spring Training camp.
It did not take long for Morgan to endear himself. He batted .455 in April and kept hitting after an injury in May -- the result of a collision at home plate -- sidelined him. Morgan became a cult hit for his performances on the field and off, especially his postgame television appearances in which Morgan introduced Milwaukee to Tony Plush, the supremely confident, self-described entertainer whom Morgan had invented with some friends years earlier.
How could they not be endeared to this guy? In June, Morgan delivered what he thought was a go-ahead eighth-inning single against the Mets. It was only when he saw teammate streaming onto the field that he discovered it was the ninth inning, and Morgan had just won the game.
A few weeks later, he asked his Twitter followers for suggestions about how to spend an off-day. When someone snarked that he should go fly a kite, Morgan did just that and posted photos of his afternoon along Milwaukee's lakefront.
His signature television sign-off -- "AHHHH! Gotta go!" -- was printed on T-shirts that became hot sellers at Miller Park, and more alter egos followed. There was Tony Tombstone, when the Brewers dressed in Western garb for a flight in Houston. Tony Hush, when Morgan clammed up after run-ins with the Cardinals' Chris Carpenter and Albert Pujols in August and September. And Tony Clutch, after Morgan's walk-off hit in Game 5 of the National League Division Series against the D-backs.
Morgan "tickled" -- his word -- a single up the middle in the bottom of the 10th inning of the win-or-go-home game in the NLDS, scoring Gomez and sending the Brewers to their first League Championship Series since 1982. It ranks right up there among the biggest hits in Brewers history, alongside Cecil Cooper's go-ahead single in the decisive Game 5 of the '82 American League Championship Series and Ryan Braun's NL Wild Card-clinching homer in the '08 regular-season finale.
"When I'm done as a GM, that will go down as one of the most exciting years I had, and I told Nyjer at the end of the season that he bears a large responsibility for taking that team and me as a GM as far as I've gone in the postseason," Melvin said. "That Game 5 is one of the most memorable games, most nerve-wracking games, that I've ever been involved with, and I think you'll always remember that.
"I'll always remember the energy level he brought to that club, too. It was one of the most exciting years they've had here in a long time."
The 2012 season featured fewer highlights. Morgan batted .182 in April and did not drive in a run until he homered off Pittsburgh's Kevin Correia on June 1. Morgan's drought of 138 plate appearances to start a season without an RBI was a Major League record.
On several occasions, Melvin was close to trading Morgan to a contender, but those deals fell through.
Considering his salary ($2.35 million) is unlikely to fall in arbitration, Morgan's departure has been expected for months. Barring offseason moves, the Brewers will likely platoon the right-handed-hitting Gomez and left-handed-hitting Schafer, both outstanding defensive players.
Morgan, meanwhile, will seek the next stop on the Tony Plush tour.
Posted by vipersdiehardfan at 7:05 AM
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As someone that goes camping regularly, this was a fun, not to mention useful, assignment for me. Armed with two camping Apps, I set forth into the UK countryside.
The two apps in question are Sites UK and Campsites & Caravan Parks. The former is slightly more expensiveo. I've tested both Apps as thoroughly as possible and below are my findings.


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Don't do it. That avatar is riddled with spyware.
Quote from: StefenDon't do it. That avatar is riddled with spyware.Your mother is riddled with spyware.believe me, I know
I wish I had never met SHAFTR.
Quote from: UncleJoeyI wish I had never met SHAFTR.Come on UncleJoey, it was just a communication breakdown. I thought you wanted the hot carl.
Quote from: CinephileHedwig.ditto!
Quote from: NEON MERCURYcastcallNEON: Hey, castcall, how's it going?CASTCALL: NEW IMAGINE PRODUCTIONS FEATURE CASTING NOWNEON: Um..okay, so what kind of movies do you like?CASTCALL: CASTING CALL FOR NEW MOVIE SET IN NEW YORKNEON: Right...
Quote from: CinephileHedwig.I take it back.


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Biographer's books bridge journalism, social issues
Professor of media arts and design Dr. Alex Leidholdt's research focuses on the response of the liberal Southern press to racial, gender and labor issues in the first half of the 20th century.
James Madison University professor of media arts and design Dr. Alex Leidholdt grew up in Virginia Beach in the early 1960s in what was then a sleepy coastal community under the vestiges of Jim Crow.
"We lived in a very comfortable middle-class neighborhood," Leidholdt recalls, "but I could throw a baseball twice and be in an all-black section of town that looked like it was straight out of the 1920s in the American South. The houses were tenant farmers' shacks, the streets were unpaved and there were no streetlights. That disparity was very interesting to me."
As organized resistance to Brown v. Board of Education dissolved, schools in Virginia Beach and across the commonwealth gradually integrated, placing Leidholdt and his friends in the same classrooms and on the same ball fields as African-American students for the first time. "The pioneering families had kids who were smarter than we were, they were better looking than we were, they were better athletes. For me, it was a very powerful refutation of the myth of black inferiority."
Leidholdt's emerging social consciousness would come to define his work in later life, first as a media writer for advertising firms, television and educational institutions, and then as a professor. His research focuses on the response of the liberal Southern press to racial, gender and labor issues in the first half of the 20th century. "It's an area that I mined out in graduate school" beginning in the late 1980s at Old Dominion University, where, he says, "I was tutored by a bunch of old hands, retired journalists from that area who introduced me to the literature, the history and some of the characters. I guess I've been going at it since then."
The recipient of the 2013-14 Madison Scholar award in the College of Arts and Letters, Leidholdt is the biographer of two Pulitzer Prize-winning newspaper editors, Lenior Chambers and Louis I. Jaffé, as well as the author of a book on the life of Nell Battle Lewis, the South's most important female journalist in the 1920s. His work also includes articles focusing on journalism and racial violence in central Appalachia and the journalistic advocacy associated with the desegregation of the University of Virginia. His most recent investigation involves the redbaiting of a series of rural North Carolina newspapers during World War I.
"Alex's work on scholarly historical books using primary and secondary sources is unique in SMAD, and his research generates new understandings of forgotten, yet important, historical journalism figures," says Dr. Steven Anderson, professor and head of media arts and design. "His work is not merely descriptive; he takes an interpretive approach that places his subjects in the framework of society during his subjects' lives."
In an era when newspapers were still the predominant form of mass communication, editorial writers at metropolitan newspapers in the South were often the region's "foremost public intellectuals," Leidholdt says. "They carried a lot of punch. … I don't know that journalists today have that same clarion voice."
Some, like Jaffé, the son of orthodox Jews who became the editor of the Norfolk Virginian-Pilot and one of the South's leading advocates for liberal causes in the first half of the 20th century, endured hate and prejudice, while others, like Staige Blackford, whose student editorials in the Cavalier Daily in the early 1950s broke the ice and helped set the agenda for integration at the University of Virginia, were ostracized for their enlightened views.
"These important figures are a testament to the human spirit," Leidholdt says. "The bravery that they displayed to stand up to the region's politicians and business leaders was extraordinary."
Filling in the gaps in this period of journalism history can prove a difficult task, however. Leidholdt's personal library not withstanding, secondary sources are often few and far between, and personal papers sometimes don't provide a lot of insight into the struggles these leaders faced. "So you triangulate and shop around," he says. "You go to other journalists' papers and look for references. And sometimes you have to theorize a bit and offer a range of explanations based on the best available evidence."
Leidholdt has been known to immerse himself in a subject for years, reading every available manuscript, poring over old newspaper accounts on microfilm and even traveling to the localities where key figures lived and worked to try to get a sense of what their lives were like. "I like to get as specific as I possibly can."
For all his achievements and recognitions, Leidholdt remains humble and self-effacing. "I don't consider myself to be a rocket scientist or a talented writer or a brilliant professor," he says. "It's a marathon race. I just stay at it. … I guess if I have anything that recommends me, it's that I'm intellectually curious and there are some compelling stories to be told here."
By Jim Heffernan ('96), JMU Public Affairs
Jan. 9, 2014


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Cranberry-Orange Glazed Pork Chops
Sauteed Green Beans with Pears
Garlic Mashed Potatoes
Warm Chocolate Melting Cake
Dusty and I have a tradition of staying in on New Year's Eve and cooking a yummy dinner to eat with a fire crackling in the fireplace. I thought I would share this year's menu and recipes with you so that you can enjoy them too! All of the recipes have steps that can be done hours before dinner to minimize dish washing and last minute prep work. I made most of the dishes beforehand to eliminate the stress of timing everything perfectly.
Cranberry-Orange Glazed Pork Chops
(2 servings, but the glaze is enough for 4-6 servings)
1 can cranberry sauce that I'm sure you have laying around from Christmas
1/4 cup Orange Juice
About 1/4 cup dried cranberries (optional)
1/4 cup chopped pecans
2 pork chops
Lemon Chicken Seasoning (or 1/2 tsp dried oregano)
Combine first four ingredients in a saucepan and bring to a simmer (you can add more or less OJ to achieve desired thickness). Season glaze with salt and pepper (about 1/4 tsp. of each). Dry pork chops thoroughly with a paper towel. Season them well with salt and pepper and lemon chicken seasoning if you have it, if not, oregano will do the trick. Sautee in EVOO until both sides are nicely browned and transfer to a pan lined with aluminum foil (to eliminate mess). Pour about 1/2 of the glaze over chops, reserving the rest for plating. At this point you could stop and put the chops and remaining glaze in the fridge to bake later. Bake at 350 until pork chops are cooked thoroughly. Plate and pour remaining glaze over chops. The remaining pan drippings make perfect gravy for mashed potatoes.
Sauteed Green Beans with Pears
(2 servings)
1 Pound of Fresh Green Beans
1 Medium Pear
1/2 tsp cinnamon
1 tsp sugar
I know this recipe sounds really strange, but trust me, it's DELISH! Wash green beans and trim the stems off, leaving them whole. Blanch them in boiling water for about 2-3 minutes or until they reach a bright green color. If you don't know what blanching is, all you have to do is boil them and then immediately drop them in a bowl of ice water to stop the cooking process. Slice pear and sprinkle with lemon juice to keep from browning. You can stop at this point and refridgerate to cook later if desired. Sautee beans and pear seasoned with salt, pepper, cinnamon and sugar in EVOO until crisp-tender.
Warm Chocolate Melting Cake, or as we like to say, WCMC
(2 servings)
1/2 cup unsalted butter
4 ounces semisweet chocolate (I used a Hersheys Special Dark Bar)
1/4 cup sugar
Pinch of salt
2 teaspoons all-purpose flour
Powdered Sugar
Melt butter and chocolate in a double boiler and remove from heat. Beat eggs, sugar and salt with a hand mixer in a medium bowl until sugar dissolves. Beat chocolate into egg mixture until smooth. Beat in flour until just combined. (Batter can be made a day ahead; return to room temperature an hour or so before baking.) Heat oven to 450 degrees. Spray a soufle dish with nonstick spray and pour batter into dish. Bake until batter puffs but center is not set, 8 to 10 minutes. Top with powdered sugar and serve it while it's hot! (not that you would be able to wait) Compeletely forgot to photograph this, it was too YUM!
I also made the mashed potatoes ahead of time adn reheated them at dinner time. The grapes are a tradition that Dusty passed on to me from his family. You have to eat 12 grapes and make a wish for the new year with each one.
Hope you all had a wonderful New Year's Eve. May God bless you and your families in 2010!
Lots of Love,


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Award Winning Online Design Gallery for European Interior, Designer Furniture & Furnishings, in Bangalore, India!
Modern & contemporary furniture design in Italian and European interior designs for your home, office, villa, luxury apartment, service apartment, call center,hotel, cafe, pub, restaurant, and other fine living space requirement!
Welcome to Casa Modern, a premier online gallery for modern and contemporary designer furniture catering exclusively to architects, designers, trade professionals and discerning customers, in response to rapidly changing interior design demands and home decor tastes of the Indian market.
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Modern and Contemporary Furniture Design in Italian and European interior designs 2011
Reviewed by juragan asem
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Rating : 4.5
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Rating : 4.5


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Most Underrated 1980s NBA Player. Vol.2 Duran Duran
For people who didn't experience the 1980s - Madonna, Michael Jackson, Phil Collins, Janet Jackson, U2, Duran Duran, George Michael/Wham, and Metallica ruled the 1980s. It was not until very late in to the decade that we heard about NWA, De La Soul, and LL Cool J. The original Street Fighter videogame was awful, but Nintendo and Super Mario ran the scene. Miami Vice was cool. Indiana Jones, Big, Back to the Future, The Empire Strikes Back, Return of the Jedi, and E.T. blew everyone's minds. Also, director/writer John Hughes was underrated during that era. The fashion was awful with big hair and straight men wearing makeup although the power of the mullet is forever.
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