text: Home / Brands / 3M / Bags / Static Shielding Bags / 3M™ Static Shielding 24"x24" Open-Top Bag Metal-In 100/Pack Zoom 3M™ Static Shielding 24"x24" Open-Top Bag Metal-In 100/Pack $105.50 List Price: $118.00 Our Part#: 1002424 Mfg Part#: 1002424 Sold Per#: Pack Buy 25 for $103.00 each and save 3% Qty Breaks: Our Price: 1-24 $105.50 25+ $103.00 Be the first to review this product This transparent, metalized static shield bag provides a static safe environment for sensitive electronic devices. Four layer construction. Polyester dielectric and metal layer provide Faraday effect shielding of ESD and fields. Qty: Add to Cart Email to a Friend Add to Wishlist | Add to Compare Technical Data MSDS 3M SCC 1000 Series Technical Datasheet Product Description Additional Information Tags (0) Product Description 3M SCC 1000 Static Shielding Bag TAGS: 3M METAL-IN STATIC SHIELDING BAG, OPEN TOP Tribocharging is minimized by the specially processed polyethylene. Flat and zipper closure styles. Coded for QC traceability. Specification Value Length 24 in. Width 24 in. Top Closure Open Top Thickness (mil) 3 mils Bag Material Polyester | Aluminium | Polyethylene Color Transparent Silver Uses Sensitive Electronic Devices Categories 3M | Static Shielding Bag | Metal-In | Open Top Associated Part Numbers 00051111777268 | 3923210095 | 05111177726 Information Value Estimated Weight (lbs) 13 lbs. Standard Carton Qty 1 Country of Origin USA Additional Information General Color No Technical Information Electrical Properties: Typical Values Test Method Surface Resistivity / Resistance ASTM D257 or NSI/ESD STM11.11 Interior <1012 ohms/square or <1011 ohms Exterior <1012 ohms/square or <1011 ohms Metal 100 ohms <1011 ohms Static Shielding < 30 volts EIA 541 Static Shielding < 10 nJ ANSI/ESD STM11.31 Static Decay < 2 seconds MIL-STD-3010 4046 Charge Generation PTFE 0.09 nC/sq.in. Modified Inclined Plane Quartz 0.01 nC/sq.in. Physical Properties: Typical Values Value Tensile Strength 4700 PSI ASTM D 882 Seam Strength > 10 lbs ASTM D 882 Light Transmission 40 % Tobias Heat Sealing Conditions Temperature 250oF - 375o F Time 0.5 - 3.5 seconds UNITED STATES Pressure 30 - 70 PSI Thickness 3 mils** MIL-STD-3010 1003 +/-20% Silicone or Amine Content Not detected FTIR Home Featured Product No Brands 3M Prices Price $105.50 Tags (0) Add Your Tags: Add Tags Use spaces to separate tags. Use single quotes (') for phrases.


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In Lesson 1, you worked with bitmap images and manipulated pixels. In this lesson, you will work with the vector tools to create a logo for the Web site you are creating. Many objects can be created by drawing simple shapes and then combining them to create new shapes. You will learn methods to help you create a complex image from basic drawing tools. Because you are using vector tools, you will be able to easily move or change the shape of the objects you draw.
Example of the logo you will draw in this lesson.
What You Will Learn
In this lesson, you will:
Use guides for placing and aligning objects
Draw with the Ellipse and Polygon tools
Add Live Effects
Scale objects
Rotate an object
Use the History panel to replay actions
Mask an object using Paste Inside
Group objects
Import graphics
Trim the canvas
This lesson takes approximately 2 hours to complete.
Media Files:
Starting Files:
Completed Projects:
Lesson02\Completed\ sweet_creations_logo.png

subset: commoncrawl


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Let it never be said that readers of The Eichler Network lack for imagination and drive. In our coverage of Lego's new Architecture Studio set, we asked to see your own Lego versions of Eichler houses, and reader Mark Papamarcos, of Sunnyvale, delivered with aplomb. "My son and I are big Lego fans," Papamarcos said, so the project of reproducing their family home, above, was a natural task for them. Check it out:
Papamarcos sent in this fantastic reproduction of his Claude Oakland-designed home, built in 1969 as part of the Primewood neighborhood, in which he and his family have lived since 1997 as the second owners. He and his son make a passtime of constructing elaborate structures in the back of the Lego store whenever they get a chance to stop by. And there are plenty of bricks lying around the house for at-home improvising. Papamarcos said it took about an hour and a half from the initial sketch on drawing paper to the completed build, for which they used the Lego Architecture Studio set, augmented with a few extra pieces from the home collection.
What makes it so cool? Well, for one thing it's a scale model, with each lego brick representing about four feet in the real world. For another, this representation includes details specific to Papamarcos's house, which he and his son gleaned by walking around the house and making tweaks to represent the true aesthetics.
"Some things had to be abstracted, so on one side of the real house there are two large windows but there's just one in the model. It would have been too busy if I tried to put everything in there." The four-foot scale means the structure's walls are relatively thick, and the interior was impossible, but the atrium is accurate, Papamarcos said.
Lego models of mid-century modern homes grace the web with some frequency, often on sites such as Dwell, where we've even seen an Eichler reproduction. But compared to the others, the Papamarcoses' model excels in its accuracy and attention to detail. Here's to them, and to all those obsessed by their awesome Eichlers. Keep building!


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The Cube & Saucer was our first line of ceramic pots for plants... and they really are rather revolutionary because somewhere along the way the concept that a pot actually needs to drain water got lost.
These Cube & Saucer pots were designed with the common sense that you need a hole in the bottom so the plant doesn't die. These ceramic pots for plants come in a variety of colours so whether you want a white ceramic planter, or an Azure, Cobalt or Mint pot and saucer, we've got you covered. Yam, Fern, Pea Green and Goldenrod also add a great accent to any room. Use the Cube & Saucer White ceramic planter in the bathroom to create a serene oasis or the Yam Cube & Saucer for a vivid pop of colour in your kitchen with your favourite herb. As we always say pick your colours to suit your moods.
Cube & Saucer ceramic pots for plants are the perfect accent to any small space, either indoor or outdoor.
Each Cube & Saucer is 2.5" wide/long by 3" tall
Plants we love in this pot: Echeveria Blue Star, Echeveria Chinesis, Kalanchoe, Sedum, Hens-and-Chicks, Jade, Aloe


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News Release 99-014
NSF-Funded Researcher Plucks Four Unknown Fish Species From Antarctic Waters
March 4, 1999
This material is available primarily for archival purposes. Telephone numbers or other contact information may be out of date; please see current contact information at media contacts.
An Ohio University researcher who netted four species of fish previously unknown to science during a National Science Foundation (NSF) Antarctic research cruise says the discoveries confirm his hypothesis that the continent's frigid seas are a world-class evolutionary laboratory.
"Antarctica is under-appreciated as an evolutionary site," argues Joseph Eastman, an anatomist who made his discoveries aboard the Nathaniel B. Palmer, an icebreaker of the NSF's polar research fleet. "The oceanic waters surrounding the continent are a natural evolutionary laboratory comparable to the Hawaiian Islands or Lake Baikal in Russia."
Eastman said his research indicates the waters appear to have been the site of geologically recent "adaptive radiation" as a single stock of fish--known as notothenioids--evolved to fill ecological niches that unrelated species would otherwise occupy. This is the only known example of an adaptive radiation in marine fish, according to Eastman.
Fossil evidence indicates that a variety of different species occupied ecological niches earlier in geological time, when Antarctic waters probably were considerably warmer. But Eastman said that many scientists erroneously assume that because the relatively shallow coastal waters around the southern continent are now so cold, they also must be relatively barren and uninteresting in an evolutionary sense.
The variety of species in the waters of the Antarctic shelf, which typically are no more than 500 meters deep, differs sharply from similar, more temperate waters, such as in the Delaware Bay. In those waters, Eastman noted, there is a great diversity of species on the bottom and at different levels of the water column.
In Antarctica, 95 species of notothenioids, all derived from bottom-dwellers without swim bladders, dominate all habitats. Over evolutionary time, some notothenioids have experienced an increase in body fat and are able to live permanently in the water column, rather than on the bottom.
Based on his 20 years of research and his new discoveries, Eastman said that "as far as bottom habitats are concerned, sponge beds in Antarctica are the equivalent of coral reefs in the tropics; sites of high fish diversity."
Polly Penhale, who oversees medical and biological research for the U.S. Antarctic Program, said that Eastman's findings indicate that "future research is likely to lead to a greater appreciation of biodiversity in the polar regions."
Eastman's discoveries--which include the first identification of a new species in the genus Artedidraco in 80 years--occurred almost by chance. Eastman studies the anatomy of buoyancy and how it evolved in Antarctic fishes. "It wasn't my intention to look for new species," he noted.
During two separate research seasons, rocky bottoms ripped nets so that only half of 20 trawls in the Ross Sea reaped large numbers of fish. But the four new species were discovered in those 10 successful trawls.
The Antarctic gravelbeard plunderfish (Artedidraco glareobarbatus).
Credit and Larger Version
Media Contacts
Peter West, NSF, (703) 292-8070, email: firstname.lastname@example.com
Program Contacts
Polly A. Penhale, NSF, (703) 292-8033, email: firstname.lastname@example.com
The U.S. National Science Foundation propels the nation forward by advancing fundamental research in all fields of science and engineering. NSF supports research and people by providing facilities, instruments and funding to support their ingenuity and sustain the U.S. as a global leader in research and innovation. With a fiscal year 2020 budget of $8.3 billion, NSF funds reach all 50 states through grants to nearly 2,000 colleges, universities and institutions. Each year, NSF receives more than 40,000 competitive proposals and makes about 11,000 new awards. Those awards include support for cooperative research with industry, Arctic and Antarctic research and operations, and U.S. participation in international scientific efforts.
Connect with us online
NSF website: nsf.gov
NSF News: nsf.gov/news
For News Media: nsf.gov/news/newsroom
Statistics: nsf.gov/statistics/
Awards database: nsf.gov/awardsearch/
Follow us on social
Twitter: twitter.com/NSF and twitter.com/NSFspox
Facebook: facebook.com/US.NSF Instagram: instagram.com/nsfgov


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Transporter Room 3, Episode 34
Subscribe:Seriously. SPOILERS. In all caps. You've been warned.
It's fitting that Transporter Room 3's last podcast of 2012 is its first ever from a minivan.
Maybe "fitting" isn't the right word -- we can find one later. But first, let's discuss Star Trek Into Darkness.
The whole world (wide web) has been on the verge of obsessive behavior concerning Mr. Spock's volcano suit and Kirk pulling a Raiders right before swimming for his underwater starship. Yep, Scott and Phil discuss the logic-be-damned nerdgasm of an underwater Enterprise, as well as what (few) clues about the film's plot can be gleaned from this nine-minute IMAX presentation.
And you know that new trailer that's out there? Oh yeah, we devote mouth sounds to that too!
Of course, no podcast would be complete without adding another Red Shirt to the memorial wall (read: our dorm-room fridge). Who's our Red Shirt -- or Shirts -- this week? Listen and find out!
Don't forget to subscribe to our RSS feed (click the icon) to get all the latest episodes of our podcast automatically. Like us on Facebook, star-rate us on iTunes, e-mail us at Transporter Room 3 at Gmail dot com and give us a hug if you ever see us on the street. Especially Phil. He's, like, an Olympic hugger. And, of course, follow us on Twitter:
Scott Collura: twitter.com/ScottIGN
Phil Pirrello: twitter.com/Phil_Pirrello
Thank you for listening to our podcast. We promise to serve up some more ear food come 2013! Until then, we'll see you on Gravett Island!
Check out Episode 34 of Transporter Room 3 right here:


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- Improve employee safety.
- Protect traffic areas & workstations.
- Reduce costly product damage.
Carron pallet rack guard nets install on the back side of racks or in flue spaces where regular access is not required. Featuring 100% nylon mesh with strong 5/16" poly rope binding, Carron pallet rack guard nets provide an economical, easy-to-install, OSHA-compliant employee safeguarding and product containment solution. FOB Shipping Point.
HOW TO ORDER: All nets are made to order. The net system is modular allowing coverage of up to three contiguous bays of the same height and width with a single net. Choose net height, beam length and number of bays of coverage for each net required in either standard (H76010) or heavy (H76025) capacity mesh.
Black Netting Standard.
Ask about nets for load segregation, accessible rack guarding and conveyor protection.
See related items tab for Installation Hardware.


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Have Republicans in the House decided not to self-destruct a second time in a month? At least according to Politico, the answer is yes. Rather than open another painful split on immigration reform, the House will close out the 2013 session without any votes on the issue:
House Republican leadership has no plans to vote on any immigration reform legislation before the end the year.
The House has just 19 days in session before the end of 2013, and there are a number of reasons why immigration reform is stalled this year.
Following the fiscal battles last month, the internal political dynamics are tenuous within the House Republican Conference. A growing chorus of GOP lawmakers and aides are intensely skeptical that any of the party's preferred piecemeal immigration bills can garner the support 217 Republicans — they would need that if Democrats didn't lend their votes. Republican leadership doesn't see anyone coalescing around a single plan, according to sources across GOP leadership. Leadership also says skepticism of President Barack Obama within the House Republican Conference is at a high, and that's fueled a desire to stay out of a negotiating process with the Senate. Republicans fear getting jammed. …
"After Obama poisoned the well in the fiscal showdown and [House Minority Leader Nancy] Pelosi now is actively trying to use immigration as a political weapon, the chances for substantive reforms, unfortunately, seem all but gone," said one GOP operative involved in the conservative pro-immigration movement.
Well, that'll be news to Darrell Issa, but it also makes some sense. First, Republican nerves are still raw from the shutdown fight that split the House and Senate caucuses, and split both caucuses internally as well. The last thing Republicans need is another civil war immediately on the heels of the last one, which has quieted down but hasn't entirely evaporated.
Postponing the effort may end up killing it altogether. They can push it into 2014 after tempers have cooled, but that's getting close to the midterm elections. Conservatives might be able to convince the rest of the caucus that it will better to wait to see if the GOP can win control of the Senate in order to get a better deal on border security for reforms in 2015, avoiding another show of disunity that President Obama can exploit to save Democratic control in the upper chamber. If nothing else, that might have the Senate offer more concessions as a way to get the House to move. If the House does nothing through 2014, then the Senate bill will expire and the effort will have to begin again from scratch.
An even better argument for waiting it out is the ObamaCare debacle. Obama wants to distract from the destruction that his signature program is wreaking on Americans and their insurance by "pivoting" to immigration. (As an aside — does anyone remember the 37th "pivot" to jobs and the economy? Good times, good times.) Republicans should spend this time debating an eventual replacement for ObamaCare to address the real financial emergency Obama's program is creating for Americans, one that robustly addresses the cost spiral of health care with market-based reforms that work rather than government mandates that make the situation exponentially worse. The chances of substantive reforms in this policy area are very good — and the electorate will be very receptive to them by the time they've paid through the nose for Obama's idea of reform all year long.
This is the perfect opportunity to show that the GOP can govern seriously and solve the problems created by an incompetent Democratic administration. Let's hope Republicans grasp it.
Cross-posted from Hot Air.


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Ashlee Simpson-Wentz might have been axed from "Melrose Place," but the actress/singer is getting a new gig on The Great White Way. Ashlee will star as Roxie Hart in the Broadway production of "Chicago," Access Hollywood has learned.
According to a source, the 25-year-old will begin starring in the Broadway show in December for a six-week run.
VIEW THE PHOTOS: Hollywood's Hottest Moms & Their Loveable Little Ones
Ashlee shouldn't have too much trouble stepping into the role, as she starred in the musical in 2006 on London's West End.
As previously reported on AccessHollywood.com, though Ashlee's departure from "Melrose Place" was abrupt, she was thankful for the chance to star on the CW series.
VIEW THE PHOTOS: Celebrity Siblings
"Having the chance to play Violet on 'Melrose Place' has been a thrill," Ashlee told Access in a statement last month. "Although I always knew her story would come to a final, insanely unpredictable end, playing a creepy, unstable character was something I always wanted to do, so I jumped at the chance. Thanks to The CW and the entire cast and crew of 'Melrose Place' for allowing me this opportunity!"
Related Content from AccessHollywood.com:
VIEW THE PHOTOS: Proud Pop Star Parents: Ashlee Simpson & Pete Wentz
PLAY IT NOW: Ashlee Simpson-Wentz Talks Moving To 'Melrose Place'
PLAY IT NOW: Ashlee Simpson-Wentz Talks New 'Melrose Place'
MORE ACCESS ON THESE TOPICS: Ashlee Simpson - Broadway - CW - Melrose Place - Music


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It's vegan, eco-friendly, fair-trade, made locally -- and proceeds help impoverished children! The latest do-gooder fashion companies are certainly setting some high standards.
Toms Shoes, based in Santa Monica, Calif., is giving away a pair of shoes to a needy child for every pair purchased. British giant Marks and Spencer has adopted a mission, "Plan A", to become carbon neutral and to stop sending waste to landfills by 2012.
Meanwhile, Paris's yearly Ethical Fashion Show, a trade event featuring conferences, workshops and runway shows centred on ecological and social matters, is touring cities such as New York, Rio de Janeiro, Berlin and Milan through next year.
The sustainable-fashion movement is blowing up like a big green balloon, with innovative companies finally adding corporate responsibility to the bottom line.
Problem is, as a consumer, after you try on those perfect-fitting jeans, in the 30 seconds it takes to walk to the cash register, it's nearly impossible to start weighing ecological matters such as water waste and land use, or ethical matters, such as labour conditions and charity causes.
"Most people get overwhelmed and turn it off," said Lindsay Coulter, a.k.a. the Queen of Green for the David Suzuki Foundation.
Instead of trying to figure out whether to buy organic cotton or bamboo, she says, sustainable-seeking consumers should simply abide by the "cradle to cradle" philosophy. That is, shoppers should start asking questions about where and how clothes and accessories are made.
They also need to think about what ultimately happens to their clothes after they've finished with them.
If consumers become mindful about how clothes are treated and disposed of, the idea is that, eventually, more businesses will have to keep up.
"You can't do it all," Coulter said. But you can start by going to stores that will help you understand how your efforts are making a difference.
Setting the Standard
Danny Lourenco owns the sustainable-fashion boutique Rien a Cacher on Montreal's St. Denis Street. He's been doing plenty of eco-homework throughout the years.
"Our benchmark is items 'made locally.' The majority of our products are Canadian-made, and a few are from the U.S.," he said, explaining that buying locally supports re-investment in the community and economy. It also makes it easier to track how products are made, which is crucial for shop owners like Lourenco.
"Making things locally means using far less transportation," thereby reducing the carbon footprint, he said, adding that working and safety conditions here are regulated, whereas such regulations don't necessarily exist in other parts of the world.
"Otherwise, I offer fair-trade-certified products," Lourenco said. These are imported from developing countries and overseen and approved by the independent FLO-CERT body. The organization ensures that environmental and labour conditions are established among farmers and workers.
Lourenco is also well-versed in other labour and organic certifications, but he places most confidence in fair trade. "Human rights and the environment are interrelated," he said.
At Rien a Cacher, garments made of new textiles, such as organic cotton or bamboo, are certified eco-friendly, while any items with a synthetic base have either been recycled or up-cycled. Recycled clothes include fleece made from recycled plastic bottles, while up-cycled clothing refers to vintage or used clothing that has been restyled to fit current trends.
Still, Lourenco said, "We hope people buy our clothes because they're nice, not because of the concept."
Going green
Indeed, most sustainable fashionistas are proud of their earthiness, but are keen to see more high-style clothing grace the industry. It's part of an effort to ditch that hippie stigma.
"We want to enjoy dressing up; we don't want to wear hemp all the time," said Alexandra Schwartz of Studio Breathe, a sleek-looking Montreal yoga and karate studio. On Nov. 19, Schwartz held a charity auction for the David Suzuki Foundation to promote ethical consumerism.
Schwartz agrees that, aside from a few cute frilly tops, Montreal's sustainable-fashion movement tends to produce lots of casual T-shirts and cozy sweaters. Because many of these looks can be granola-heavy, "terms like 'organic' can get a negative reaction," she said.
Schwartz also believes customers are wary of eco-clothing because of "greenwashing" - whereby companies advertise items as eco-friendly when they have only a small percentage of organic cotton mixed with a bulk load of petroleum-based ingredients. They may also make other eco-claims they can't back up.
In the hopes of giving sustainable consumerism a fresh start, Schwartz has adopted the "blue" philosophy of Adam Werbach, the former head of the Sierra Club and now CEO of Saatchi & Saatchi S, the ethical division of the ad agency. Werbach's "blue" ideology stresses the ethical features of consumerism -- such as buying a pair of those charitable Toms Shoes -- rather than just focusing on the "green" items, such as organic cotton.
Fashion first
Eva Anastasiu is an ex-Montrealer living in Paris who runs www.ecofashionworld.com with three other partners. The site, which was launched two years ago, has more than 1,000 subscribers to its newsletter, and more than 300 sustainable brands listed.
A regular at Paris's Ethical Fashion Show, Anastasiu believes the industry's mission should be to reach out to the global fashion community.
"The goal is to have more fashion designers to go eco-(style) -- not necessarily more humanitarians," Anastasiu said. While she's all for former Peace Corps workers launching their indie fashion labels, she thinks designers with proven talent should be recruited into the sustainable-fashion movement. That way, they can help improve the industry's style and image, which is key to igniting an even larger consumer trend. In turn, even more corporations will have to become responsible.
She sees looks becoming more upscale: Last year, John Patrick Organics was nominated for the Council of Fashion Designers of America award. This year, two more sustainable-fashion designers, Monique Pean and Natalie "Alabama" Chanin, were nominated.
"All this organic culture is a heritage of hippie culture; it's just where it started," Anastasiu said. "Now it's taken up by people who are trained as designers and more fashionably interested brands."
Bigger brands such as American Apparel should also be recognized for their vertically integrated business model and fair working conditions, Anastasiu said. "And they have quite a bit of organic cotton," she added. Anastasiu lists H&M as another company with corporate-responsibility initiatives.
Still, Anastasiu acknowledges that bigger companies tend to be about "fast fashion" -- fast food for your wardrobe, based on manufacturing and selling cheap, disposable clothes. This runs counter to the sustainable-fashion philosophy, which is all about good quality, longer-term buys from smaller, up-cycled vintage stores, and sustainable-fashion shops.
"A lot of eco-fashion designers are amazing people: They go to farms, to factories, and have their noses everywhere," she said. "I admire them so much, and I really think their work should be promoted."
Pet concerns
Sabrina Barila, owner of Barila Clothing, a two-year-old hip Montreal label, has modelled her company on Stella McCartney's no-animal-products concept.
"I don't use leather because I'm a vegetarian," she said. "I wanted to create (a company) that appeals to me -- without the remorse."
Several organizations, such as Compassion in World Farming (www.ciwf.org.uk), have compiled numbers about the impact of the meat and leather industries on greenhouse-gas emissions.
Sabrina also donates one per cent of profits and one per cent of every staff member's salary to the One Drop Foundation, Guy Laliberte's charity, which seeks to increase water accessibility in impoverished countries. (Barila's sister and collaborator Claudia is in a relationship with Laliberte.) After her spring 2010 fashion show during Montreal Fashion Week, the sisters aired a video clip promoting the One Drop cause.
"I always wanted to help out. No matter what I do, I need to tie it in," Barila said. "I know I could do more, but I'm still a rookie. I learn and do what I can."
A case for simplifying
Learning, trying and then learning and trying some more: It's a fine standard for business and consumers.
"Even small efforts can produce enormous positive results," said Peter Schiefke, national director of the Climate Project Canada, Al Gore's organization.
"Realize that you are voting with your dollar when you're making a purchase, no matter how big or small," said Coulter.
And remember that the "cradle to cradle" philosophy not only affects new clothing purchases; it also means being mindful of how you wash and treat your clothes (in cold water, minimum time in the dryer, avoid dry cleaning) and how long you manage to prolong their lifespan. Refurbishing, up-cycling and swapping clothes are good ways to do this.
And when you've finished wearing your sustainable garb, donate it to charity; it's both ecological and ethical.
Montreal Gazette


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A new report has found that early childhood programs, shown to give significant, long-term cognitive and economic benefits to children in the United States, also can greatly benefit children in developing nations.
The new study was conducted by University of Chicago economist James Heckman, Prof. Paul Gertler of the Haas School of Business at the University of California-Berkeley, and researchers at four institutions across the globe. The authors examined a high-quality early childhood program in Jamaica and concluded that the intervention improved children's cognitive development and substantially increased their future earning power.
The results of the study were published in the May 30 issue of the journal Science.
Heckman and Gertler's current analysis is based on a follow-up interview of the sample from the original Jamaican study, which was carried out between 1986 and 1987.
Researchers enrolled 129 toddlers, between 9 to 24 months, that were living in economically disadvantaged neighborhoods of Kingston, Jamaica. The children were diagnosed with stunted growth and poor cognitive development, which are strongly associated with malnutrition. These stunted children were assigned to control and treatment groups to recieve nutritional and educational intervention. The study also recruited a comparison group consisting of an additional 84 non-stunted children in the same age group and from the same neighborhoods in Kingston, Jamaica.
Treated participants received stimulation by way of weekly, one-hour sessions with community health workers who taught child-rearing skills to the children's parents and encouraged mothers and children to interact in ways that would develop cognitive and socio-emotional skills. Children were also given access to free healthcare and weekly supplements (formula) over a period of 18 months to compensate for the nutritional deficiencies that might have stunted their growth.
At the end of the study, researchers found that the developmental level of children who had received stimulation was significantly above that of the children who did not benefit from the program, and approached level of the external, non-malnourished group. Participants were subsequently resurveyed at ages 7, 11 and 17. Results indicated that the stimulation and the combined stimulation-nutrition arms of the Jamaica Study proved to have large, long-term impacts on cognitive development for boys.
In 2007 and 2008, when the participants were approximately 22 years old, Heckman and his co-authors attempted to find all of the participants, regardless of their current locations, and even followed migrants to the U.S., Canada and the United Kingdom. They interviewed 105 out of the 129 enrollees in the stunted category, and 65 out of 84 in the non-stunted category. Their focus was to determine the labor market returns for early stimulation intervention.
The analysis shows that the early psychosocial and nutritional interventions increased the participants' earnings as adults by 25 percent—enough for them to catch up to the earnings of the comparison group that was not stunted. The interventions also had a positive long-term impact on participants' psychosocial skills and schooling attainment, and were linked with reduced participation in violent crimes.
"These findings help us understand the mechanism to effectively shape public policy," Heckman said. "It shows once again that investing in the early years of disadvantaged children is more than a social justice imperative—it is an economic imperative that has far-reaching implications for developing nations."


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Roster of the 11th Wisconsin Infantry, Co. I
The "Fox River Zouaves"
M.O.= Mustered Out.
Cpl = Corporal
Sgt = Sergeant
Lt = Lieutenant
Prom = Promoted
Disch = Discharged
Trans = Transferred
Enlisted Men
Any omissions or errors are unintentional.
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Company I: Fox River Zouaves
Posted in: Company I– July 3, 2007


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You wouldn't be alone if you've watched this video of a young woman racing a camel — quite a few times.
And you've likely wondered: Who is the girl running through the desert with this most unusual pet?
Alex Komechak has loved animals her entire life, but it wasn't until she moved from the Midwest to Arizona at 19 that she was able to begin living her dream of raising camels and other animals. Shortly after arriving in Arizona, Komechak purchased some land and, that same day, purchased her first newborn Dromedary (or Arabian) camel, who she named Baby. "It didn't take too long after meeting him for me to know what I wanted to do: Raise, breed and train camels with a long term goal of having a farm open to the public with an education center where students can come and learn more about animals and be inspired by nature like I was as a child," Komechak told TODAY.com.
Komechack, who is currently in school to be an elementary school teacher and has rehabilitated all kinds of wildlife, now has nine animals: two Dromedary camels, Baby and Nessie (who appears in the video); five rescue dogs (a German Shepherd, an Australian Shepherd mix, two Borzoi, and a young Doberman Pinscher, a Von der Decken's Hornbill, and a Robovorski's hamster. But, of course, it's the camels that get — and require — the most attention.
"They're very demanding and there's not one day that you can slack off or ignore them," Komechak said, although it's certainly easier now than when Baby and Nessie were calves and required proper bottle feeding every two hours, around the clock. "This is something I'm going to be doing every day for the rest of my life and it's a huge commitment. If I'm going somewhere or planning to do something I have to think, 'But whose going to take care of my camels?' It might be easy to find someone to come to your house to watch your dogs, but it's not so easy with camels."
Awkward family pets
The joy these Dromedaries bring to Komechak make all the work worthwhile, though. "I feel very honored to be able to share my life with these wonderful animals. Nessie and Baby are both very sweet and very clever. Baby lays down on the ground, which is called cushing, just by saying the word to him. And Nessie knows to stand by me and wait until I say, 'Go!' before we run. They're both trained like this with many different vocal commands."
Nessie's been racing — and beating — Komechak from the very beginning. "She beat me right away!" she says. "I think it was only a few days after I got her, when we started running together in the fields behind my house. Even though she only weighed about a hundred pounds and was a skinny little hump-less thing, she was very fast. In school I ran in track for years, but even at two weeks old Nessie was beating me. They're actually really fast, despite their awkward appearance. Camels can easily run 25 mph and a trained fit racing camel can reach 40 mph."
When not running or eating, Baby and Nessie both love to play — in fact, this winter, Komechak plans to teach them to fetch. "Baby loves to carry around orange plastic traffic cones and stick them up in tree branches. Nessie likes kicking and going after balls."
Keep an eye on her Camels and Friends YouTube channel for more videos.
Want to learn more about Komechak and the animals? She regularly posts pictures, videos and news on her blog, Camels and Friends.


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I'm your party healer.
I'm the one at the back of the room that needs to be close enough to the front of the room to keep the tank alive (and the DPS on occasions)
I have needs that aren't being met.
I need mana occasionally, although admittedly you are generally conscious of this.
What you aren't conscious of is my need for 3 other things.
I need loot.
I see you riffling the corpses while I quickly mana up. I see the items you grab and I share in the silver.
I don't get to loot myself though, normally when my mana bar starts moving up, you start moving on.
Do I fish for the green item, or chase you down around the corner, into the next room?
I need to skin things
See those animal corpses littered on the floor… They are my daily cash injection. I don't skin them instantly, skinning is a channeled ability.
If I am skinning, I can't, maybe even won't heal you.
You got to loot, you got to skin, all while I was preparing to save you from the next hit.
I'll get there and Rez you when I'm finished.
I need to pluck
Yep I'm a herbalist as well.
Yes it sucks to be me.
You know when you see that Ore vein and you run off and fight the mobs to get your metal? You know, when I am standing right behind you pumping heals into you, while you grab your rocks?
Do me a favor, clear the mobs around the herbs for me and/or wait for me to pluck my fill.
You're AFK, I'm AFK
I know, these are all minor inconveniences, but I have realized lately if I want to do anything other than chase the tank bout, I need to go AFK.
I didn't want to, but I realize now that while I am rezzing you, while I am healing you, while I am regaining mana, you are going AFK.
That's cool…
Just be warned that once it's all done, I will be going AFK. I will be plucking flowers, skinning rugs and looking for loot.
I may even head to the fridge, the toaster, the kettle, the toilet and grab a smoke…
Sucks to be you.
Overhealer and I'm OK?
Actually I don't know what I am complaining about, generally I have nothing to do.
I throw up an Earth Shield. I drop a Riptide. I go off looting.
- I get excited when the tank loses 10% health and wind up a big healing wave.
- I get excited when the DPS take splash damage and I can wind up a chain heal.
- I love it when a pull goes wrong and we pull two groups… and a pat. At least then I get to do something.
Keep the mana in the bank
Maybe I need to stop topping off the tank.
Maybe I need to let the DPS hurt a little.
Apart from being good healing practice in reducing over heal it would conserve my mana so we can just steadily work through the instance.
Exchange chain heals for chain lightning
Maybe I should pump out a bit of DPS. Run the mana tank dry preventing additional damage rather than curing the odd bit.
Maybe I should have a bit of fun and start pulling. You know, when the tank has one or two groups firmly under control, maybe I should pull the next one.
More heals
If I pull them I will have to spam heal myself and give the tank the challenge of pulling the mobs of me before we both drop.
Do you Overheal or AFK heal?
What do you experienced healers do?
Do you go make a coffee while the pull commences and pop back to top them off before the next pull?
Gnomer and Out, Squidly and Stout!
This work is licensed under a Creative Commons Attribution-Noncommercial-Share Alike 3.0 Unported License.


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Outlook 2016: Global High Yield
Outlook 2016: Global High Yield
Positive factors
2016 will likely be another year when returns in the high yield bond1 sector are "coupon light" (i.e. total returns are lower than the coupons on offer).
Under our base case scenario, we expect a total return in the range of 4-5% for the global high yield index in 2016.2
Returns should be better for active managers and investors, who are able to take advantage of what we see as the likely continuing divergence of returns across issuers and industries.
Positive technical factors – such as modest supply, an uptick in demand, light dealer inventories, high cash balances at mutual funds, and more conservative positioning among high yield investors after the market correction in the second half of 2015 – could lead to a market bounce in the first half of 2016.
Several possible positive catalysts could emerge which would trigger a shift in sentiment and spark renewed investing interest by pension funds, insurance companies, and mutual fund investors.
The brunt of any rise in the default rate is likely to be weighted towards the end of 2016, which provides a time horizon for the high yield bond market to bounce back from what we considered to be somewhat oversold levels as 2015 came to a close.
Over the past two to three months, high yield strategists and investors have increased their expectations for defaults for 2016.
It is difficult to assess with absolute precision what the implied default rate is based on current market valuations - whether using yields or spreads for high yield bonds – because there have been changes in two variables at the same time.
Expectations for defaults in 2016, and the risk premium demanded by investors have both risen in recent months.
Indeed, a good portion of the recent widening of spreads in the high yield bond market represents this wider risk premium.3
This partially reflects the investor belief that they need a higher 'illiquidity risk premium' in order to be enticed to invest, since press coverage on the topic of poor and diminishing liquidity in corporate bond markets has been so high.
Default rates to rise but not as much as currently feared
Defaults4 should rise in 2016, but only moderately from the currently low level of defaults.
Defaults should be clustered in a handful of industries – primarily in metals & mining and energy, as well as in retail and media – where the market is already pricing in a high probability of default for a number of issuers.
The distressed debt5 ratio has risen after the late 2015 selloff; so the market is already pricing in a high probability of default for a larger portion of the index.
We believe that the global high yield market now looks relatively cheap after the spread6 widening during the second half of 2015. High yield valuations appear to be relatively cheap in several ways:
- Relative to the high yield market's own valuations during historically analogous periods (at similar points in the credit cycle in past cycles, etc.).
- Relative to other asset classes: Versus investment grade credit, for investors who have the risk tolerance to bear greater potential volatility; versus emerging markets; versus government bonds; and versus cash & cash equivalents.
- Relative to predicted valuations from fundamentally-based forecasting models.
- Relative to our sense of the severity of potential further downside risk, and relative to the probability of positive catalysts emerging which could improve valuations over the course of the coming year.
Watch for key signposts as market conditions change during 2016
Rather than fixate on a total return forecast for the entire year, we believe that investors should instead focus on various signposts along the way to indicate whether the risk-reward profile of the high yield asset class is attractive or not.
As was highlighted clearly in 2015, the market can rally for several months at a pace that is unsustainable for the full year. The market can also become oversold. We believe that key market trends to monitor include the following:
- The pace of M&A activity: We expect that merger & acquisition activity will remain elevated and that many high yield companies will continue to benefit from larger, higher-rated issuers pursuing strategic mergers as they seek growth opportunities.
- The trajectory of oil and natural gas prices: We expect a recovery in oil prices to be delayed until the second half of 2016, given recent shale production and oil supply data.
- The pace of fallen angels: We expect the pace of investment grade companies being downgraded to high yield to rise, particularly in troubled sectors, versus rising stars. We also expect the pace of distressed debt exchanges and defaults to increase.
- The pace and mix of supply: We expect gross new issuance will likely be slightly lower in 2016 than in 2015 and may be split between refinancing activity and M&A financing, with very little for financing highly levered buyouts.
- Demand reversals: Extremes in mutual fund flows can often be contrarian signals as widespread mutual fund redemptions are often concurrent with market corrections.
- The pace of Federal Reserve (Fed) rate hikes: Investors currently expect fewer rate hikes in 2016 than the Fed itself is projecting.
- Changes in the strength of regional economic growth across the Americas, Asia and Europe.
Many of the themes that we expect to dominate in 2016 are similar to those in 2015, but perhaps the most important strategic calls in 2016 will surround the decisions about when to add exposure in energy and emerging markets, as sentiment about both market segments is nearly universally negative as the year begins yet valuations backed up materially in late 2015.
High yield bonds could provide positive returns even as the Fed hikes rates
The Fed raised the Fed funds rate by 25 bps in December, representing the first rate hike in more than nine years by the US central bank.
Many investors hold the view that fixed income returns will inherently be negative during a period when the Fed is raising short-term rates, but an analysis of the three most recent Fed rate hiking cycles shows that this is not the case.
In fact, an analysis of the past three rate hike cycles shows that high yield bonds can produce positive returns over a six month or 12-month horizon after the Fed first raises the Fed funds rate.7
High yield can also outperform other fixed income asset classes, such as Treasuries and investment grade corporate bonds.
This was especially the case during the 2004-2006 rate hike cycle but was also generally the case in the 1994-95 and 1999-2000 rate hike cycles.
We believe that prospective returns in corporate bonds markets in 2016 could be much better than recent performance, and better than the bearish consensus view that seems to have developed over the past couple of months.
While many uncertainties remain as 2016 begins, the risk premium embedded in high yield valuations is high. There are several signposts that we will be monitoring in the market to potentially become more constructive as the year progresses.
Fundamental research and active risk management in the face of changing market conditions will continue to be key to outperformance.
1. Investment grade bonds are the highest quality bonds as assessed by a credit ratings agency. To be deemed investment grade, a bond must have a credit rating of at least BBB (Standard& Poor's) or Baa3 (Moody's). A high yield bond is a speculative bond with a credit rating below investment grade. Generally, the higher the risk of default by the bond issuer, the greater the interest or coupon.↩
2. Referencing the Barclays Global High Yield ex-CMBS ex-EMG 2% Issuer Capped Bond Index.↩
3. Risk premium is the extra return over cash that an investor expects to earn as compensation for owning an investment that is not risk free, so its value could go down as well as up. There are some risk premia where the extra return expected is over and above the return earned from another risk premium.↩
4. Default riskThe risk that a bond issuer will not be able to meet their debt payments and subsequently default on their contractual obligation to investors.↩
5. A distressed asset is one that is put on sale, usually at a cheap price, because its owner is forced to sell it. There could be various reasons for this, including bankruptcy, excessive debt and regulatory constraints. Debt itself can be sold on to a new owner at below face value (distressed debt).↩
6. Yield spread is the difference in yield between different types of bonds (for example, between government bonds and corporate bonds).↩
7. Source: Schroders↩
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Consumer Confidence and Stock Markets: The Panel Causality Evidence
This paper uses a panel of country-level data to investigate the causal relationship between the consumer confidence index (CCI) and the stock market index (SMI). We apply the common correlated effects mean group (CCEMG) estimation of Pesaran (2006) to capture the cross-sectional dependence of our variables before examining this causal relationship. In the panel data analysis, we discover the two-way causality between the CCI and SMI. One of the ways is where stock returns Granger-cause the changes in the CCI. According to the information view of the CCI, this result is due to consumers regarding the stock returns as being the leading indicators of the future situation, regardless of whether they own the stocks or not. On the other hand, the changes in the CCI also Granger-cause the stock returns, the reason for this being attributable to the animal spirits view of consumers. When consumers believe in their own opinions, they will at the same time have strong confidence in and an optimistic attitude toward the future economic situation. Based on these conditions, consumers will invest more in the stock market.
This work is licensed under a Creative Commons Attribution 3.0 License.
International Journal of Economics and Finance ISSN 1916-971X (Print) ISSN 1916-9728 (Online)
Copyright © Canadian Center of Science and Education
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Students Explore Brazilian Educational Systems
A College of Education class gave seven students a unique opportunity to not only experience Brazilian culture but, more importantly, also its educational system.
EDUC 497C: Special Topics in Education with Embedded Travel to Brazil is taught by Jason Whitney and was offered during spring semester and highlighted by a two-week trip during Maymester.
"The purpose of EDUC 497C was to provide students an opportunity to travel to Brazil for the purpose of learning about the educational system in Brazil in order to make comparisons between Brazil and the United States," Whitney said.
While in Brazil, the group toured both public and private elementary and secondary schools, as well as public and private universities.
"In Brazil, the whole schema is essentially the opposite (of the U.S.). For students to receive a good preschool, elementary and secondary education, it is common to attend a private school. Everyone that we talked to reiterated, if the parents can afford private school, they would never put their child in public school," Hanna Mincemoyer, a senior secondary education mathematics major, wrote in the class blog, The Penn State/ Brazil Connection.
"This means that starting around age three, for a child to get the best quality education, they have to start paying tuition. If they are able to pay when they are young, there is a good chance they can get accepted to a public university after graduation, which is completely free. The public universities are able to continuously get the best students because of the competition for a free quality higher education."
Following the Penn State contingent's ten days in Brasília, the group visited the experimental GENTE (Experimental School of New Technologies) Project, a recent project taken by the Municipal Board of Education in Rio de Janeiro in partnership with UNESCO to revitalize some of the poorest performing schools in the favelas (slums). The Andre Urani school is located in Rio's Rocinha favela, a neighborhood whose cartels shunned outsiders and obstructed government services until it was "pacified" in recent years.
The project aims to transform educational facilities and pedagogy. By providing a notebook computer to each student, the school uses a curriculum whose online lessons are individualized to match the level of the student. Weekly evaluations are conducted at the end of each week's lesson, and students who perform poorly on these evaluations are given additional feedback and tutored by their classroom teachers. Teachers are assigned to the role of a facilitator who monitors each student's work and creates a positive learning environment that encourages student autonomy. In addition, the school feeds students meals and provides healthcare.
The relationship between Penn State and Brazil started in 1959 when Jack Searles, a Penn State College of Education professor, moved his family to Brazil for two years. During that time he taught in the Brazilian states of Belo Horizonte and Brasília.
Later, Searles would lead groups of Penn State students on trips to Brazil. Those trips were reciprocated.
One Brazilian, Eda Machado, came to Penn State to earn her Ph.D. Her faculty advisor was Searles.
Now, more than 50 years later, one of the seven Penn State students who made the most recent trip to Brazil was Conor Searles, who graduated in August with a degree in education and public policy. He is Jack Searles' grandson. By hosting Penn State students. Machado, who founded and is part owner of Instituto de Educação Superior de Brasília (IESB), has brought the exchange full circle.
"Words cannot describe how excited I am to be here in Brazil to experience first hand some of the places, and to meet some of the people that my grandfather loved so well," Conor Searles wrote during the trip.
"The foundation for this trip began in 1959 when my grandparents moved to Brazil for a two-year stretch, bringing my father, my uncles and both my aunts with them. Now, 54 years later, and a year after (my grandfather's) death, here I am in Brazil. I see this trip as not just a wonderful educational opportunity, but as a tribute to my grandfather who dedicated much of his life to forging connections between Penn State and Brazil."
Further strengthening the bond is the fact that Machado's son, Edson, is currently working toward his Ph.D. in higher education at Penn State.
Whitney said he hopes to offer EDUC 497C every spring
"The class is a good fit for aspiring classroom teachers, and it also fits a wide range of majors in our college," he said. "For instance, it offers education and public policy undergrads an opportunity to interact with those who shape policy. They can see for themselves that things are done differently in Brazil — though this year's students were surprised by how many similarities exist between the two countries. Our Brazilian partners have been extraordinary hosts, and we were all astounded by the warmth and hospitality we received. We've made a great start, and we hope to offer this experience for many years to come."
— by Andy Elder (August 2013)


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Lessons learned for both the Obama White House and congressional Republicans?... Sex, lies, and email: Expect a lot of grandstanding over the Petraeus affair… Why were the GOP polls so wrong?... Is the independent vote overrated?... Breaking down the Catholic vote… And redistricting made House races less competitive.
Pool / Getty Images
President Barack Obama speaks after a wreath-laying ceremony on Veteran's Day at the Tomb of the Unknown Soldier in Arlington National Cemetery on Nov. 11, 2012 in Arlington, Va.
*** Lessons learned? Wasn't the biggest post-election story in Washington supposed to be the fiscal cliff? Ah, nothing like a sex scandal to distract from what SHOULD be the biggest story in Washington, so we lead with that… Perhaps the biggest mistake the Obama White House made during the debt-ceiling debacle of 2011 was think that all it had to do was strike a deal with House Speaker John Boehner. The New York Times reports that the White House says it has learned its lesson -- President Obama "will not simply hunker down" in closed-door meetings with Republican leaders. He "will travel beyond the Beltway at times to rally public support for a deficit-cutting accord that mixes tax increases on the wealthy with spending cuts. On Wednesday, Mr. Obama will meet with corporate executives at the White House as he uses the nation's fiscal problems to start rebuilding relations with business leaders… He hopes to enlist them to persuade Republicans in Congress to accept higher taxes on the assurance that he can deliver Democrats' votes for future reductions in fast-growing entitlement programs like Medicare and Medicaid." If one lesson from July 2011's failure is the lack of an OUTSIDE game (i.e. building support among business for instance), what about any lessons they learned in dealing with the congressional GOP leadership? We wonder if Team Obama learned that it might have better success in engaging rank-and-file Republicans (think Sens. Lamar Alexander, Bob Corker or Tom Coburn) than just GOP leaders. Keep an eye on this. Will the White House, through other Democratic senators, begin to build a Plan B should the Boehner talks stall?
*** Signals that Republicans might work together with Democrats? And perhaps the biggest mistake that Republicans made was to believe that opposing Obama at almost every turn would break his presidency. Well, it didn't turn out that way, and some are seeing the writing on the wall. For instance, we see folks like conservative writer Bill Kristol argue that Republicans need to consider raising some taxes on the wealthy. "You know what? It won't kill the country if Republicans raise taxes a little bit on millionaires. It really won't, I don't think," he said on FOX yesterday. "I don't really understand why Republicans don't take Obama's offer to freeze taxes for everyone below $250,000. Make it $500,000, make it a million." And Sen. Chuck Schumer (D) said on "Meet the Press" yesterday that he and Sen. Lindsey Graham (R) are revisiting their comprehensive immigration reform. As for House Speaker John Boehner, his job right now is to prove to the White House that he can deliver on a deal. It's why his office and other House Republicans are talking to any media that will listen to send the message that Boehner has more leeway to cut a deal. Of course, sending that message now is an acknowledgement that perhaps Boehner did NOT have the same leeway in July 2011.
*** Sex, lies, and email: Expect a lot of grandstanding over the next several days after the news that CIA Director David Petraeus resigned his job due to an extramarital affair. Sex? Check. FBI investigation? Check. Upcoming congressional hearings? Check. But ask yourself this: If no national security was being compromised, is this truly a scandal? And maybe that's what has some in Washington scratching their heads. And one thing that could lessen the usual partisan grandstanding on a matter like this is that Petraeus was an Obama administration official whom conservatives and Republicans absolutely adored. By the way, if Obama and Boehner were clever, they'd use all the attention the Petraeus affair is receiving to do some serious fiscal-cliff negotiating. Petraeus is the perfect shiny-metal object distraction.
*** Why were the GOP polls wrong? Turning back to last week's presidential election, Politico has a story asking this question: How could the Republican polls have been SO wrong? "Top party strategists and officials always knew there was a chance that President Barack Obama would get reelected, or that Republicans wouldn't gain control of the Senate. But down to the final days of the national campaign, few anticipated the severe setbacks that Republicans experienced on Nov. 6. The reason: Across the party's campaigns, committees and super PACs, internal polling gave an overly optimistic read on the electorate. The Romney campaign entered the last week of the election convinced that Colorado, Florida and Virginia were all but won, that the race in Ohio was neck and neck and that the Republican nominee had a legitimate shot in Pennsylvania." So what went wrong? Politico surmises that GOP likely-voter models just didn't think the electorate would have as many minorities and young people. In other words, they didn't think 2008 would happen again. Well, it did. What's really odd is that we thought it was the regular practice of partisan pollsters to provide results with the OTHER side's best case turnout projection reflected. Did they not do that? Did they simply believe enthusiasm among partisans told a better story? It's true that partisan enthusiasm can make a big difference in a midterm election; in presidential elections, it's less certain. One need only look at 2000 (and the missed Democratic surge, despite GOP enthusiasm for Bush) or 2004 (and the missed GOP surge, despite Dem partisan enthusiasm for Kerry).
*** Is the independent vote overrated? In our latest installment looking at the exit polls from last week's presidential election, here's something you might not have known: Romney actually won the independent vote, 50%-45%. So now twice in the last three elections -- in 2004 and 2012 -- the winner has lost the indie vote. What does this mean? Well, party ID appears to matter much more: In 2004, it was even; in 2008, it was D+7; and last week, it was D+6. Also, many polls have different ways of deciding who is an "independent"; some pollsters include "lean Dems and lean GOPers" in their independent number which lately has given the indie number a GOP skew. If you move the leaners into their own parties, then you get a more pure indie subgroup (and you also realize how really small of a subgroup it is).
*** Breaking down the Catholic vote: Indeed, a better predictor of presidential elections seems to be Catholic voters. Bush won them in 2004 (52%-47%); Obama won them in 2008 (54%-45%); and Obama won them in 2012 (50%-48%). Yet Obama performed worse among white Catholics in 2012 (losing them 59%-40%) than he did in '08 (52%-47%). What went on here? Well, Obama fared much better with Latino Catholics, and that boosted his numbers among overall Catholics. Over time, could the Catholic vote become less of a telling predictor if Latinos continue to vote in droves for Democrats? Or does it become the first place we find out whether Republicans have made any inroads with Latinos is via the prism of the Catholic vote?
*** Redistricting made races less competitive: Some have wondered why President Obama would appear to have coattails for Senate races this time around, but not much of them in the House. Democrats expect that when all the votes are in they will pick up a net of seven seats. But that's hardly coming close to taking back they House (they needed 25) or making up for the 63 seats they lost in 2010. The most obvious explanation for this is redistricting. In fact, just 88 races had the winner with 55% or less, down from 113 in 2010 (a 22% decrease). But there were even fewer truly competitive races. Just 38 (!!!) races had a winner that got 52% or less, down from 61 in 2010 (37% reduction). The biggest decrease took place in Pennsylvania, where Republicans took over the state legislature and governorship in 2010. The Keystone State had seven 55-and-under races in 2010 but just three in 2012. And just one of those was 52-and-under -- and it was a Republican takeover.
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ORLANDO, Fla. – A cold front pushed temperatures in some parts of Central Florida into the low 30s Wednesday morning, and another cool night is expected before temperatures begin to rebound.
Low temperatures hit the freezing mark in Ocala early Wednesday morning and temps dipped into the 40s in Orlando.
The high mark on Wednesday is expected to reach 70 degrees.
The lows early Thursday morning will range from the upper 30s to mid-40s across the region.
Central Florida will gradually warm up, with highs on Thursday and Friday in the low to mid-70s. Low temps will be in the 50s.
The weekend temperatures will top out in the mid-70s, and there's a slight chance of rain on Saturday.
Watch Local 6 News and stay with ClickOrlando.com for more on this story.


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If you dare to proceed, this test will generate a complete step by step guide on how someone would seduce you and you wouldn't be able to resist.
Assume that someone is flirting with you. Please choose up to three types of flirters that most appeal to you and select up to three types of flirters that appeal least to you:
Look at the options below for how someone might invite you for a date. Please select up to three that most increase the likelihood you would go meet this person offline:
Read the following carefully and indicate the degree to which each statement describes you. It sometimes helps to think about how those closest to you would rate you.


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Just hours after police and representatives of his estranged wife turned up on his doorstep to enforce an emergency court order to remove his 23-month-old twin sons from his Los Angeles mansion, a visibly angry but surprisingly measured Charlie Sheen said that he had no idea where his children were, but vowed that he would get them back. "At this moment, on live TV, I do not know where my children are," the actor said.
"If anybody thought my focus was directed in a radical way, that's going to seem like child's play," Sheen told NBC's Jeff Rossen in a predawn interview with his attorney, Mark Gross, at his side. "This is about getting very focused, getting in touch with what I have to do to complete the task of bringing these two beautiful young men back to the home that they deserve to be raised in."
Most popular
Court order
Sheen said he had heard reports — so far unconfirmed — that the boys had been taken to a hotel in Santa Monica. Thus far, he said, he has received no formal notification of their whereabouts from police or from Mueller's attorneys.
"You or any other father has a right to know where your children are," Gross told Sheen during their interview with Rossen. "The silence from Brooke's attorneys is very conspicuous."Video: Sheen: I stayed calm, focused while surrendering kids (on this page)
Los Angeles police confirmed to NBC that they had enforced the court order, obtained by lawyers for Sheen's estranged wife, Brooke Mueller, demanding that the children be turned over to her immediately. The boys were to have had a scheduled visitation with their mother beginning Thursday, Gross said.
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Related: Police remove Sheen's twin boys from his home
According to published reports, Mueller — who has had her own public struggles with substance abuse — not only told the court that she had concerns about the environment in the home Sheen shares with two young women he calls "the goddesses," but also alleged that he had threatened her. TMZ reported that Sheen had told Mueller: "I will cut off your head, put it in a box and send it to your mom."Publicist quits after Sheen's TMZ interview
In the live interview Wednesday Sheen called that comment "colorful," but denied he had ever made it. "I did not. That's a good one, I guess; I guess if you spend enough time around me, you can formulate things that could have come from my mouth. But you could do that watching reruns," he added, referring to his sitcom "Two and a Half Men," on which production is currently suspended.
Related on The Clicker: Sheen reveals demands to avoid legal battle with bosses
Sheen also insisted that his home provided a nurturing environment for the two young boys. "I invite anybody at this point to come in and just observe — a court-appointed monitor, somebody from her legal team, whether it's her, or it's you with a camera. There's nothing to hide ... there's nothing but love or compassion.
"It's 100,000 times better than what's going to be offered in her house," Sheen added, referring to Mueller.
No resistance
Sheen and Gross acknowledged that there had been tensions between Mueller over issues of custody, and that he had recently rejected a request from her to be allowed to spend some time with the twins when they were scheduled to be with him. "I rejected it because I knew that unlike myself, her drug test would not be clean," Sheen said.
But he insisted that he was caught completely by surprise late Tuesday when authorities turned up, along with what he described as some unidentified men, to demand that Max and Bob be handed over.
Related on TODAY Moms: Charlie Sheen, rock star from Mars or father in pain?
"They were just being put to bed," Sheen said, when the police called to say that they were on their way over, making no mention, he said, of removing the boys. "I thought, OK, I can deal with that ... I got my lawyer on the phone," he said. "And then it was revealed, once I opened the door, that they were there to remove Bob and Max."
Sheen did not put up a fight, he said. "I'm not into resisting the law, and just had to surrender to it," the actor said, adding: "We videotaped the whole thing ... they didn't have car seats, so I provided them and I said, 'I love you,' and I said, 'Don't say goodbye, say 'see you later,' and 'later' is going to be very soon.' "
Message to Mueller
Gross said he and Sheen are planning on demanding a court hearing — perhaps Thursday, perhaps within a few days after that. The first task, he said, is to determine "what the allegations are, figure out where we can get — not just Charlie's word against Brooke's — but also get ... independent witnesses to verify the accuracy or inaccuracy of statements.
"There isn't even an allegation that Charlie is a danger to the children, harmed the children or threatened the children, which is why I am so surprised by the issuance of this order," Gross added. Referring to Mueller's attorneys, he said, "It's unfortunate that they chose to go this route instead of communicating."
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Sheen is under a restraining order that bars him from contacting Mueller directly, but he used the interview to send her a message. Facing the camera, he said: "Brooke, I'm sorry that you felt this had to be done in this way, but this does not display any responsible parenting or anything that I'm familiar with. And I think that cooler and smarter, leveler heads can prevail, and I urge you to reach out to me immediately if not sooner and tell me where our sons are."Slideshow: Spiraling Sheen (on this page)
In the meantime, Sheen insisted that he remains focused on getting the boys back. "This is now the challenge I claimed to be looking for, and I am more than willing to take on this task," he said.
© 2013 NBCNews.com Reprints


text:
In Knack on the PlayStation 4, mankind must turn to an unlikely hero robot known as Knack, to protect them from a dangerous new threat. The unassuming Knack stands at a mere three feet tall, but thanks to the power of mysterious ancient relics, he can transform into a powerful brute or even a gigantic wrecking machine. Knack is mankind's only hope for turning the tide against the invading goblin army, but trying to harness the true power of the relics could threaten to put the whole world at risk.
- SCE Japan StudiO
Release Date(s):
- 29 November, 2013
PEGI Rating:
- 12+
- Official Site(s):
- 1-2
Online Player(s):
Technical Information
Required Disk Space:
- 37GB Minimum
Supported Video Output:
- 1080p
Game Format:
- Blu-ray Disk
DualShock Compatible:
- DualShock 4
Average Playing Time:
- 19 Hours
Sound Engine:
- DTS Digital Surround
- Dolby Pro Logic II
Super Gamer Dude
Knack on the PlayStation 4 is produced by SCE Japan Studio and published by Sony Computer Entertainment and is exclusive to the PlayStation 4, the game is best described as an action game whose graphics are of a comic book style. The player takes on the role of Knack. The character Knack is a type of robot, the result of a scientific experiment designed to help humans beings in their war against a goblin like race of invaders who come equipped with an array of offensive weaponry. He can change shape and size by absorbing metal and any other bits and pieces lying around, some of these bits often being parts of defeated enemy hardware.
You can think of Knack, the game, on the PS4, as being a cross between Crash Bandicoot, Gears of War, with some platform action elements thrown into the mix. It has quite an extensive variety of surrounding to delve into and explore which adds greatly to the overall appeal. Unlike some games, where the scenery is repetitive, with Knack each level is totally unique.
Knack's metamorphosis from small through medium to large has him generally becoming bigger the farther into the game you get, with some variations in size as needed in certain situations as dictated by the player's actions. Bits of his surroundings such as street lights, road signs or enemy equipment such as bits of armored tanks can be incorporated into his frame to give him more bulk, but taking hits from enemies has the opposite effect. However, the player has little or no control of what bits go where as this is mostly decided by the mechanics of the game. Essentially the game itself dictates how large Knack needs to be.
Combat with the goblins is pretty basic and close up and relies on just a few moves and combinations. Knack is unable to block defensively and so avoiding hits can be quite a challenge, but he can dodge and run making avoiding damage entirely possible with practice. He does have one interesting trick up his sleeve which consists of spinning fast on his vertical axis resulting in the bits he is composed of flying off in all directions causing mayhem among those enemies nearby. When Knack is in his larger form he is able to pick up and hurl the hardware and weaponry of his goblin enemies such as armored vehicles and aircraft. He can also rise in stature to the height of the buildings around him and pull bits off his surroundings and throw them around. Under certain circumstances knack can revert to his original small stature and crawl through confined spaces or even become invisible.
There is fun to be had from the game and a certain degree of re-playability as unlocked characters and items can be retained to play again through the level in which they were acquired. It is not really possible to say much about the graphics as in this genre there is no standard to judge them by, but they are crisp and clear but the central character himself is in my opinion not very impressive. The same comments apply to the audio, who knows how a shape changing robot should really sound? The capabilities of the PlayStation 4 are not by any means pushed to their limits by this game and Sony could well have chosen a better game as an early offering to show off the devices undoubted strengths.
|Submitted by
|Cheat Title
Nov 21, 2013
Secret Trophies
Nov 21, 2013


text:
Tuesday, January 08, 2013
What's wrong with the left blogs ?
I guess on the Left the Norms and the Harry's of this world are still banging away* at the same targets, too. Call me a parochial old Hector, but at a time when the UK is deep in the doo-doo (pdf), only likely to get deeper, and my kids will be leaving college to compete with half the globe for that £7 an hour call-centre job, the latest from Iran or Syria just doesn't engage me as it may once have.
"The knee is nearer than the shin" as the Greeks put it.
The far left - the Andy Newmans and the Lenins - seem - especially in Lenin's case ('my suggestion is that as an analytic, patriarchy must be treated as one type of the more general phenomena of gender projects which in certain conjunctures form gender formations') - so detached from working people's everyday experience as to be operating in a different universe - the universe of the political class, a place where ordinary people don't go. To a great extent that can be said to apply to the Decents, the Oslers and the Shiraz Socialists, too. What happened to some T&G activist 40 years ago isn't a lesson for anyone now, because "all is changed, utterly".
Are there in fact a lot of good new Left blogs out there, and I'm just out of touch ? Or is the Left pretty damn moribund ?
Just take a look at this "left" blog's "about us" page. FFS ! What a horny-handed bunch of toilers we've got here ! Up The Workers !
(On an unrelated note, Praise The Lord ! More rejoicing in heaven etc etc).
One other thing. Harry's Place and Lenin's Gulag don't have a lot in common - but they both now use that appalling "Disqus" comment software, as seen at the Telegraph. Can anyone tell me why any blogger should want to use that stuff? What's its appeal?
* I must be fair. Banging isn't really Norm's style. Calm is more his thing.
18 comments:
- BenSix said...
I see Though Coward's Flinch as the broadsheet and Tom Pride as the tabloid. The latter has grown very popular without attention from the in-crowd. I think they are worried that he is the sort of guy who will be sued. And they could be right.
- 2:26 am
- BenSix said...
I hate gratuitous apostrophes.
An explanation for the decline of leftyblogging, by the way, might be found in the rise of Twitter. Partly as a lot of people restrict themselves to it and partly as it makes them more invested in squabbles and pseudo-controversies that no one outside of social media gives a damn about.
- 2:35 am
I feel that the decline of the lefty blog is simply a reflection of the decline of the left in general.
The fact is that nobody under the age of 60 believes in "the Left" anymore. Of course "left wing" really only means "supporter of the poor" but in the UK it is used specifically (and quite wrongly) to refer to Marx-inspired socialism. Tony Blair was under 60 and quite clearly didn't believe in "The Left" in any meaningful sense. Gordon Brown was a young firebrand of the Left - but he's over 60. Whenever I see someone buying a copy of the Guardian with their own money, they are pensioners. Guardian subscribers aren't cancelling their subscriptions in disgust - they're simply dropping dead!
Polly Toynbee is 66. Dennis Skinner is 80! Kinnock is 70. David "nuclear free sheffield" Blunket is 65. Ken "Looney Left" Livingstone is 67. Derek Hatton is 64 (and now working as an international property developer - just how capitalist can you get!). Germain Greer is 73. Alan Rusbridger may look young - but he's 59.
These are just a few of "The Left" as we once knew it. They are the ones that came into my head at random. You will notice they were all born in a relatively short period, reaching adulthood in the 50s at the height of the Cold War. These people are not yet retiring - they use their positions in society to continue to influence it, but the reality is they are a generation or more behind the bulk of the population.
"The Left" is not in decline. It is simply dying, quite literally, in front of our eyes.
- 10:55 am
Plenty of youngsters on the left like Penny Red.
The difference is that previous generations had some kind of positive vision in mind whereas nowadays the left is driven by a nihilistic dislike of the west in general.
- 1:46 pm
- JuliaM said...
"Of course "left wing" really only means "supporter of the poor"..."
Really? How patronising. I suppose 'right wing' means the opposite, to you?
God knows, the left MUST love the poor, they seem to want to ensure an unending supply of 'em!
- 3:30 pm
- DJ said...
Heh. I was thinking that just the other day about Andy Burham's Frostophobia.
Say what you like about the NHS but creating it was a big thing. Now the Labour Party Big Idea is cereal killing.
The Tolpuddle Martyrs would be so proud!
- 10:03 pm
Is there a need for left blogs when the center has become crypto marxist?
In short the culture/identity/race axis has replaced class as the primary narrative mode.
consumerism is no longer an issue let alone an ism. Ulrike Meinhofs Konsumerterror has come to pass,being unable to consume is the indignity of Capital.
How can Keynes be relevant in a globalised economy?
How does Parliamentarian Democracy stay relevant with an ill educated electorate, agenda driven media and commissar class at the helm?
I believe that all fundamental future change will be crisis led and not due to proactive change.
The unexamined life not worth living etc etc. Gay marriage is a non issue on demography alone and yet exemplifies all the points I have attempted to raise in the above.
The left are consumed with fairness and seek to change the world,whilst not realising that the world ultimately changes you.
- 11:05 pm
I thought' Capitalist Realism' by Mark Fisher was at least contemporary in the best kind of way. Capitalist Realism is about how people in general can no longer imagine a future different from the one we have now. Which is interesting.
- 9:46 pm
"The political terms Left and Right were coined during the French Revolution (1789–1799), referring to the seating arrangement in the Estates General: those who sat on the left generally opposed the monarchy and supported the revolution, including the creation of a republic and secularization,[5] while those on the right were supportive of the traditional institutions of the Old Regime."
The problem is the terms have been used for so many different things since they have no real meaning at all. They should be abandoned because any meaning they have is relative to the person using them and understood differently by the person hearing them.
- 11:43 am
"Plenty of youngsters on the left like Penny Red."
Kind of sums it up really. Penny Red is a total lightweight. She's more interested in colouring her hair than real politics. If she's the best the left can summon up these days then it really is all over.
- 12:02 pm
- Syonist said...
As no comments on the other thread... Not Roma this time
- 7:35 pm
On the MONA theme.....
Three "Britons" charged.
- 1:16 pm
- Jim Denham said...
Your scathing comments are noted over here at Shirazland, comrade. I don't even, necessarily disagree with everything you've written on this subject. But I do think that what happened to "some T&G activist forty years ago" is worth noting. Even if you think there are no political lessons to be leant from the Pentonville Five (and I'd disagree), Vic Turner and the others at least deserve to be remembered.
- 1:45 pm
- cheap hajj packages said...
scathing feedback are mentioned over here at Shirazland, fellow. I don't even, actually don't agree with everything you've published on this topic. But I do think that what occurred to "some T&G capitalist 40 decades ago" is important to note. Even if you think there are no governmental training to be leant from the Pentonville Five (and I'd disagree), Vic Turner and the others at least are entitled to to be kept in mind.
- 12:02 pm
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I believed Naturalist Realism' by Indicate Fisher was at least modern in the best type of way. Naturalist Authenticity is about how many individuals can no more think about a upcoming different from the one we have now. Which is exciting.
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DJ Talent Of The Week: Kanye West, Jay-Z & Big Sean - Clique (Enferno Live Remx) (ILL)
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Fans of Apple products are asking the device maker to live up to its own advertising and think differently, especially when it comes to how the company manufactures its iPhones and iPads.
After The New York Times ran a seven-page exposequickly followed by similar reports from CBS News and "This American Life" among other news outletson worker conditions at the Foxconn factory in China, which manufactures products for Apple among other top electronics brands, Apple's biggest fans are calling for change.
On Feb. 9, a petition created by Change.orgnow nearly 200,000 signatures strongas well as one from SumofUs.org, nearing 60,000 signatures, will be hand-delivered to Apple retail stores in New York, Washington, D.C., San Francisco, London, Sydney and Bangalore, CNNMoney has reported. The events are trending on Twitter under the tag #OccupyApple.
"Your own ads say that 'the people who think they are crazy enough to think they can change the world, are the ones who do,'" Change.org's Mark Shields wrote in the petition, which includes "two simple asks." They are:
Further reading
"First, in regards to the worker traumas described in the ["This American Life"] story, ranging from suicide attempts to the people losing the use of their hands from repetitive motion injuries, we ask that Apple release a worker protection strategy for new product releases, which are the instances when injuries and suicides typically spike because of the incredible pressure to meet quotas timed to releases.Second, since the TAL story aired, Apple has announced that the Fair Labor Association will be monitoring its suppliers. Awesome step. Please publish the results of FLA's monitoring, including the NAMES of the suppliers found to have violations and WHAT those violations are, so that there is transparency around the monitoring effort."
The iPad 3 is expected to debut in March, but the SumOfUs petition focuses on the next iPhone.
"Right now, we have a huge opportunity as ethical consumers: The launch of the iPhone 5 later this year will be new Apple CEO Tim Cooks first big product rollout, and he cant afford for anything to go wrongincluding negative publicity around how Apples suppliers treat their workers," states the SumOfUs petition. "Thats why were launching a campaign this week to get Apple to overhaul the way its suppliers treat their workers in time for the launch of the iPhone 5."
Apple's only response so far has been a company-wide email from CEO Tim Cook to employees, assuring them that any insinuation that Apple doesn't care about workers is "patently false."
"Accusations like these are contrary to our values. Its not who we are," Cook said in the email, which went on to say that Apple continued to "dig deeper" on issues and work to resolve them.
"What we will not doand never have doneis stand still or turn a blind eye to problems in our supply chain," said Cook.
Certainly, it seems one needn't dig far to find problems. A recent CNN report included an interview with a Foxconn worker who said she made less than a $1 an hour for her work. "I almost feel like an animal," she told CNN of being worked so hard.
The New York Times report described Apple, more than other competitors, insisting on the slimmest margins from suppliers, forcing the latter to squeeze profits from other areas.
A Feb. 9 report from Canaccord Genuity analyst Michael Walkley shows that Apple, during the fourth quarter of 2011, held a "remarkable" 80 percent share of the industry's operating profits. Samsung, which shipped 36 million smartphones during the quarter, compared to Apple's 37 million, by IHS iSuppli numbers, held 15 percent of the industry's operating profits. Nokia and Research In Motion each held 2 percent.
Shields, in his petition, describes his delight in Apple products being replaced with "a terrible knot," upon discovering the working conditions that made his Apple devices possible.
"Please make these changes immediately," he wrote, "so that each of us can once again hold our heads high and say, 'Im a Mac person.'


text:
Actress Iza Calzado and ultimate heartthrob Piolo Pascual will reunite in an upcoming ABS-CBN teleserye tentatively tiled Hawak-Kamay.
Hawak Kamay will be the comeback teleserye of Piolo Pascual after last year's Apoy Sa Dagat with Angelica Panganiban and Diether Ocampo. This will also be Iza Calzado's big return in primetime drama, following the successful teleserye Kahit Puso'y Masugatan which also starred Andi Eigenmann, Jake Cuenca and Gabby Concepcion.
According to reports, Piolo Pascual was the one who requested to be paired with Iza Calzado in this upcoming series, which is said to be directed by Ruel Bayani.
Iza has already worked with Piolo twice in movies, first in the highly-acclaimed Milan (with Claudine Barretto as female lead), and second on the mega blockbuster hit Starting Over Again, both helmed by award-winning director Olivia Lamasan.
Iza Calzado and Piolo Pascual, who both said they are very excited for their team up, already had a look test for the upcoming series. Aside from the two, Hawak Kamay will also star Nikki Gil and some newly-discovered talents.
Are you excited for this Piolo-Iza teleserye? Reports said the cameras will start rolling this March.
For more Kapamilya updates follow/like BIDA KAPAMILYA on Twitter and Facebook.


text:
I am developing a program where I read a file whose content is the name of other files that I need to read their content.
I do it and store every line (which represents a file name) in a list of strings.
Then I create a method whose purpose it is print on screen the content of every file, line by line. Here the problem shows up. It starts to execute and then it says that the file whose name is stored in the list of strings cannot be found! Here is the output:
And here is the code of the method./java -classpath Procurador\ de\ Texto/ Main nomesArquivos.txt
Exception in thread "main" java.io.FileNotFoundException: File1.txt (No such file or directory)
at java.io.FileInputStream.open(Native Method)
at java.io.FileInputStream.<init>(FileInputStream.jav a:138)
at java.io.FileInputStream.<init>(FileInputStream.jav a:97)
at java.io.FileReader.<init>(FileReader.java:58)
at FileManager.readFile(FileManager.java:22)
at Main.main(Main.java:9)public void readFile () throws Exception { for (int i=0; i<configFiles.size(); i++) { FileReader fr = new FileReader (configFiles.get(i)); BufferedReader br = new BufferedReader (fr); while ((line = br.readLine()) != null); { System.out.println (line); //System.out.println ("Boto"); } fr.close(); } }
I know that the name of the files stored in the list (configFiles) are the correct names because I printed them in the screen and they are correct (As can be seen in the beginning of the quote)
The name of the files itself are also correct.
So what can be the problem?
Thanks for any help.


text:
May 02, 2013
City News Service
Two deputies are suing sheriff's officials, alleging that white supremacist gang inmates are being utilized to assault jail personnel who have fallen into disfavor with supervisors, according to court papers obtained Friday April 26. Deputies Michael Rathbun and James Sexton allege that Sheriff Lee Baca, outgoing Assistant Sheriff Paul Tanaka and others ``use these jail gangs as proxies or agents to retaliate against other (Los Angeles County Sheriff's Department) deputies and inmates. Within these inappropriate alliances, the gangs are given certain privileges that are otherwise legally precluded from them.''
The federal complaint, which also names as defendants Lt. Greg Thompson and ``Detective Perkins,'' seeks damages on allegations of retaliation, constitutional violations, malicious prosecution, conspiracy and harassment.
Sheriff's spokesman Steve Whitmore said the lawsuit filed last week lacks merit. ``We don't believe this is grounded in fact,'' Whitmore said.
``We look forward to telling the whole story, and when the story is told and the complete picture put forth, we believe the department will be vindicated.''
Rathbun and Sexton say they worked in Operation Safe Jails, a unit that uses informants to help prevent gang violence in the jail system, and were supervised by Thompson. The two deputies allege that in August 2011, they were ordered by Baca and Tanaka to ``transfer and hide'' inmate Anthony Brown from the FBI ``in an effort to obstruct a federal investigation.''
The plaintiffs claim their superiors often ordered them ``to engage in activities meant to `keep the FBI out of the jails.'''
Rathbun and Sexton allege that when they reported their concerns to the FBI, they were verbally abused and threatened by members of the sheriff's department who were involved with white supremacist inmates. Sheriff's personnel, ``using jail gangs as their agents, labeled Rathbun and Sexton as `race traitors,' '' the lawsuit states.


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