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Webrock - The Flintstones and Hanna-Barbera Page
Flintstones & Hanna-Barbera Bulletin Board
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Does anyone no what other Dastardly and Muttley cereal premiums they used to sell in the kellogs cereals?I only know that they had erasers of Dick Dastardly, Muttley, Klunk, Zilly, and Yankee Doodle Pigeon and I also know that they had toys of the characters in their flying machines (Dastardly, Muttley, Zilly, and Klunk). If you know what else was in the cereal boxes, please let me know.Thanks!
23 April 2017 09:59pm
Does anyone know where I can find the happy anniversary song in Spanish? The full video?
6 January 2017 08:06pm
Rodinei Campos da Silveira
Does anyone remeber the Flintstones comic strip, drawn in great part by the legendary Gene Hazelton, and in the recent years by Karen Machette?
3 January 2017 02:17pm
I found an old Hanna Barbera Flintstones coin purse (I think), with Pebbles on it. I've been searching the internet for it and cant seem to find it. I was wondering if anyone may know something about it?
11 December 2016 09:13pm
Bob Wolfe
Flintstones experts! I recall an episode where Fred tells Barney how to drink wine: you've got to sip, suck, swirl and swallow he says. Who can tell me what episode that was? I'm now a wine professional and I'm seeking to confirm my childhood memory. Thanks in advance for any info!
4 August 2016 06:10am
Do you LOVE the Jetsons & Lego's? Then this is just right for you follow this link to Lego Ideas and support this ideas.lego.com/projects/147975 The project is called The Jetsons.it includes: -George -Jane-Judy-Elroy -Astro -Rosie
It also includes a display stand with a phot of all of them -Space car
This really is a must have for any Jetsons fan the space car is almost the
exact same to the great show. :D
How does this work? Pepole post projects and if the project gets tenthousand supporters than it goes into a "review stage" if it passes the review stage it becomes a real Lego set! I think this would easily pass the review stage since The Jetsons had a camio apperince in Lego Dimensions and since they have made Lego Scooby-Doo sets. Please follow that link an support here is the link again ideas.lego.com/projects/147975
22 July 2016 08:08pm
Do you LOVE The Flintstones? Do you LOVE Legos? then follow this link to Lego Ideas and support this project ideas.lego.com/projects/146210 The project is called The Flintstones: Meet the Flintstones. it includes
-Bam-Bam, Pebbles, Fred, Wilma, Barney, & Betty. It will soon also include Great Gazoo Dino & Hoppy.
-The Rubbles House
-The Flintstones house
-Welcome to bedrock sign like from the theme song
-slimy brothers gangster car
- a stand with a pic of the Flintstones to display the Minifigures on.
How does this work? Pepole post projects and if the project gets tenthousand supporters than it goes into a "review stage" if it passes the review stage it becomes a real Lego set! I think this would easily pass the review stage since Flintstones had a camio apperince in Lego Dimensions and since they have made Lego Scooby-Doo sets. Please follow that link an support here is the link again ideas.lego.com/projects/146210 Thanks.
2 July 2016 01:15pm
Tina Balliger
Hi I have a fred flinstone felling fan I am missing the down rod that hangs from ceiling..dose any one have one for sale??our knows where I can get one??Thank you
26 May 2016 08:10pm
Andrew GRAY
Dubai really don't like the Flintstones!
I don't see why?!
Abu Dhabi do!
You have to say it alound. Andy xxx
10 January 2016 02:40pm
lu brummett
Hello I have a large Flintstone collection for sale including a Fred watch. If interested can send pics of whole collection.
9 December 2015 10:58pm
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Elizabeth Hunter
I have a excellent condition Flintstone Ceiling Fan to get rid of. Send a fair offer since I want it to go to a good homel Grew up with the show so it's sentinmental to me and needs love from s a new owner!
26 August 2015 06:48am
Nan miro
looking for a 1999 scooby doo blanket it's not fleece its a throw! Has him running to the right with big flower around it! It was my daughter baby blanket some how ended up with her step sister, looking for a match so they can share their favorite blanket! Nothing worse then finding something you love and be in a postion to where you can't take it back. If you have what I'm looking for please contact me.
15 August 2015 07:32am
Flintstone fabric or curtains??? Anyone know?
30 June 2015 03:55am
I am in need for flintstone fabric or curtain.cant find it anywhere online.
30 June 2015 03:51am
Phyllis smith
I believe I have original cells of all the flint stones if anyone interested I can email you pics
22 June 2015 02:25am
Anybody out there wanting some new Flintstones toys to be made? I sure do!! LEGO is considering making a Flintstones lego set, but it has to get 10000 votes before they will review it. Go to this webpage to vote. Thanks!
In case there are any Scooby Doo fans out there, Lego is definitely releasing sets in September 2015. Enjoy!
28 May 2015 06:53am
Rodinei Campos da Silveira
Hello, John-Paul Murphy, Cassie Veselovsky and all the HB-fans from the whole world!
I'm inviting you to visit a cool Hanna-Barbera-themed blog which's mantained by a friend of mine from Vancouver, Canada: Don "Yowp-Yowp" Dodsworth.
The blog is titled "Yowp: Stuff about early Hanna-Barbera cartoons", which focuses various topics about the Hanna-Barbera classics.
This blog is located at the following link: http://yowpyowp.blogspot.com.
Enjoy to visit it! I wish you good luck on this visit!
24 February 2015 11:07pm
DESPERATELY looking for a Bamm Bamm blanket/throw!!! when my son was little his nickname was Bamm Bamm and he had a little Bamm Bamm blanket. I think it got lost over the years and he is expecting his first baby later this year and asked if I had his baby blanket. I soooo would LOVE to find him a blanket!!! HELLLLLP IF YOU CAN!! TIA
22 February 2015 10:09pm
I find the funny animal characters of Yogi Bear, Quick Draw, Huckleberry Hound, Magilla and Tom & Jerry so appealing. They never lost their charm to make good laughs.
9 November 2014 00:35am
I have a Flintstones ceiling fan with 5 blades everything works for sale if anyone is interested in itnot really sure what they're worth
7 November 2014 11:23pm
I have a betty rubble figurine in mint condition from England for sale. I also have 9 figurines from franklin mint collection including Mr. slate and hoppy. There are Fred, Wilma, pebbles, Dino, and Barney, Betty,and Bamm Bamm in this collection also the shelf to hold them on. You can contact me at email@example.com
13 October 2014 03:22pm
Does anyone remember a Flintstones episode where Fred and Barney are walking and Fred plucks a hair off the street, almost like it was a hair caught in a film projector?
5 September 2014 01:03pm
Does anyone want a I have a Hanna Barbera Flinstones Ceiling Brand New in Box Madison Avenue from 1994 RARE. box is aged and open but all the parts are in there and never been used everything is still in the plastic
asking 200 obo
20 February 2014 07:23pm
does anybody know if the great gazoo appeared on the jetsons?
16 January 2014 12:44pm
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I was given Flintstones stickers from cartoon network on the back it says 1997 Hannah barbera. It looks like they were from a cereal box like the prize inside. does anyone know if they are worth anything?
2 November 2013 03:03am
Does anyone have, or know where I can find the animated movie, "The Flintstones On The Rocks?" I prefer it on dvd, but I'll take a vhs copy if in good condition. Thanks.
27 September 2013 03:40pm
Hi there, I am huge fan of The Flintstones too. I am 15 years old close to 16, but I always love Flintstones since I could remember... I grew up watching The Flintstones TvSeries but most of the time I was watching The Flintstones Movie (1994), The Flintstones in Viva Rock Vegas (2000), The Flintstonesi in I Yabba Dabba Do and recently (5 years ago) I found The Flintstones in Hollyrock-A-Bye Baby (1993) and The Flintstone Family Christmas. I just want to know if anyone knows where I can found the costumes worn by Elizabeth Taylor and ofcourse Joan Collins as Pearl Slaghoople. I just love the way they dressed them in the live-action movies. I also love fashion design and I remember a year ago ebay had some Costumes Designs from The Flintstones in Viva Rock Vegas, if anyone could help me find those things I would be thankful!!!
28 August 2013 10:21pm
Hi.I have been looking for a Dick Dastardly plush on eba but I cant find a good and least expensive plush.If anyone has a Dick Dastardly plush that is least expensive could you please tell me if you have one or if there is one on ebay.Thanks!:)
30 July 2013 11:38pm
I am a big fan of Hanna Barbera!I have alot of items that mostly contain Scooby Doo but I a few other items that contain The Jetsons,The Flintstones,and Tom and Jerry!I have a Big crush on George Jetson and Dick Dastardly!!!!!I love HANNA BARBERA!!!!!!!!
4 July 2013 05:36am
18 June 2013 03:38am
I have the first season of flintstones on vhs from Columbia house. it also has a 5 minute skit of when they were called the flagstones. I paid $25.00 per tape 4 episodes per tape (15 tapes total) I am asking $200.00 for the set in mint condition. please e-mail me at email@example.com thank you
19 May 2013 11:48pm
I love the Jetsons too!!I have a HUGE crush on George Jetson.I also have a Large Collection of Hanna Barbera and Scooby Doo Stuff!!!I'm so lucky.I'm going to keep collecting things!!!!I love Hanna Barbera and someday I'm going to reopen it and work there as the Boss!!!!
9 March 2013 05:33am
RD Atkins
We currently have a VERY rare Jaymar Flintstones Stoneway Piano listed on eBay. We have been trying to research this toy and it's worth with very little luck. The experts and collectors we have contacted are interested in purchasing the piano so will not give us an accurate estimate. Any help would be greatly appreciated.
14 January 2013 01:29pm
i love hanna barbera cartoons. the jetsons are my faverout.
9 September 2012 06:22pm
Does anyone know where I can get a picture of "Sleb Rock" the little bad luck guy with the big hat? Looked all over on the internet! Maybe Im spelling the name incorrectly.
2 September 2012 06:10pm
I am looking for a Flintstones character gold charm.
25 August 2012 07:11pm
I am looking for a gold Flintstone charm. Any of the characters would be great. I have tried ebay and amazon. I am told they have them at The Flintstones bedrock city in Custer, S.D. , but can not buy online. If anyone know of anyone who has one or can get one for me and I will buy it from them.
25 August 2012 07:09pm
Liz Galvan
I am planning my twins 2nd birthday and wants to make it the flintstones theme. Any suggestions on decorations ? Or games for the kids?? It has been difficult finding flintstones items for decorations. Help!
23 July 2012 03:35pm
I start the school year teaching about the Stone Age. Wanted to use a Flintstones theme. Anyone know where I could get die cuts of the characters and some of their inventions?
20 July 2012 06:14pm
I have two lamps with retractable cords dated 1961. Fred's "suite" is red with black dots and his tie is yellow. Wilma's hair is yellow, her dress is blue as well as her necklace. She is pushing a cart with flowers. Can anyone tell me what the lamp shades would have looked like? I believe these to be the first edition...can anyone confirm that?
11 July 2012 06:20pm
Webrock - The Flintstones & Hanna-Barbera Page©1995-Present.
All Rights Reserved. Page Maintained by
John Paul Murphy


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During our tour of the southwest this past September, my wife and I visited the three National Monuments that surround Flagstaff, Arizona. About an hour north of town, located in the Coconino National Forest, is Sunset Crater and Wupatki National Monument, which are in close proximity to each other, and are usually visited together.
Our first destination during this leg of the trip was to hike the one-mile Lava Flow Trail at Sunset Crater. All of the mountains in northern Arizona, known as the San Francisco Peaks, are dormant volcanoes and cinder cones. The result is a very unique landscape, which in some places reminds you of something you would see on the moon. Sunset Crater (below) is one the larger cinder cone volcanoes in the area. One of the significant features of this 1000-foot high cone is that the rim area lights up with a reddish glow during sun sets.
The Lava Flow Trail doesn't climb atop, or even on Sunset Crater, but it does explore a variety of interesting volcanic formations near its base:
From the volcano we drove north on the Loop Road to visit the Wukoki Pueblo. These ruins were once the home of families from the Kayenta Anasazi culture, who built the Wukoki (a modern Hopi word for "Big House") in the early 1100s, and were occupied for nearly a century. In 1896, archeologist Jesse Walter Fewkes is quoted as saying that Wukoki "is one of the most impressive masses of aboriginal masonry…. It is visible for many miles, and from a distance resembles an old castle as it looms… above the plain."
From Wukoki it's a short drive over to the Wupatki Pueblo. The centerpiece of the Wupatki National Monument is a four story stone apartment house that was also built roughly 900 years ago. It's estimated that by 1182 roughly 85 to 100 people lived at Wupatki, the largest building for at least fifty miles around. The complex featured a 100-room pueblo, a community room and a ball court. Within a day's walk, it's estimated that a population of several thousand people surrounded Wupatki:
Hiking in the Smokies

subset: commoncrawl


text: These clippings were passed down to me in an envelope containing a letter informing my grandfather's family that he was missing in action. There are no notes explaining which newspaper these were taken from, nor the date of publication. It is probable that these were clipped from the newspaper published in Jackson Co., NC, where Daddy Thad's family and the Fisher family lived.


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You will need a programmer like the AVRisp Mk2 (ATmega chips don't come with bootloaders)
As others have said, you can certainly use your existing Uno board as a AVR programmer using the arduinoISP sketch. If you do want a standalone programmer here is one that works with AVRDUDE and also directly works with the arduino IDE and is quite affordable. Got one earlier in the week and it functions fine.http://www.hobbyking.com/hobbyking/store/__21321__USBasp_AVR_Programming_Device_for_ATMEL_proccessors.html?strSearch=USBaspLefty
To me (and you) they are quite affordable but it still is 10% of the budget of OP. ]
Quote from: Jantje on Mar 02, 2013, 05:56 pmTo me (and you) they are quite affordable but it still is 10% of the budget of OP. ]You can get them direct from Hong Kong for just under $4 (including free shipping). Just search eBay for "USBasp". Note that they usually come with only a 10-pin cable. To use them with an Arduino you will need to adapt them to the 6-pin connector. You can find 10-pin to 6-pin adapters on eBay but they will cost another $4 so someone on a tight budget might want to fabricate their own cable.


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This ginger syrup is fantastic in cocktails, but it also makes an out-of-this-world ginger ale. To make ginger ale, simply fill an ice-filled glass a third of the way with the syrup, top with soda water and a squeeze of lime, stir and enjoy.
2 cups unpeeled, washed, fresh ginger, roughly chopped
2 cups sugar
6 cups water
Process the ginger chunks in a food processor or blender until finely chopped. Place in a large pot. Add the sugar and water and stir. Bring to a boil, then reduce to a simmer over medium-low heat and cook for 1 hour until a rich syrup is created. Strain the syrup twice through cheesecloth or a sieve into a large bottle. Refrigerate.
Betty Fraser and Denise DeCarlo, Grub, Los Angeles


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Pro Basketball Teams of the DecadeA slightly different version of this article was originally published in the November 2001 issue of Basketball Digest.
Each decade immediately conjures up specific images for basketball fans: Mikan's Lakers of the '50s, Chamberlain vs. Russell in the '60s, Kareem's skyhook and Dr. J.'s skywalking in the '70s, Bird vs. Magic in the '80s and Air Jordan soaring above everyone in the '90s. In most cases these stars played for the signature teams of each decade. The raw numbers (wins, championships, Finals appearances) confirm the status of these teams, but those numbers also bring to light some fine teams that should not be forgotten.
In 1949-50, the Basketball Association of America (BAA) and National Basketball League (NBL) merged to form the NBA. That season the league consisted of 17 teams in three divisions. Logistical problems led to an unbalanced schedule in which most teams played 68 games, while others played only 64 or 62. The NBA went through many changes in the '50s, one of the most notable being the introduction of the 24 second shot clock in the 1954-55 season. By the end of the decade the league had eight teams in two divisions and all teams played a 72 game schedule. The unstoppable George Mikan and his Minneapolis Lakers (the franchise relocated to Los Angeles before the 1960-61 season) were the main drawing card during the NBA's struggling formative years. Mikan partnered with three Hall of Fame teammates (Vern Mikkelson, Jim Pollard and Slater Martin) and a Hall of Fame coach (John Kundla) to lead the Lakers to four championships in the early '50s. The Lakers declined dramatically after Mikan retired and then made it back to the Finals in 1959 behind the stellar play of rookie Elgin Baylor.
While the Lakers claimed the most titles and most Finals appearances in the '50s, they did not win the most games, finishing the decade with 388. The Celtics won 408 games, although they did not became a championship team until after Bill Russell arrived, winning two titles toward the end of the '50s. Amazingly, the Celtics did not have a single losing season from the hiring of Red Auerbach as coach in 1950-51 until 1969-70, the first season after Russell retired as player-coach. Dolph Schayes' Syracuse Nationals (the franchise which became the Philadelphia 76ers in 1963-64) won 404 games and appeared in three Finals, winning the championship in 1954-55. The Knicks won 388 games and made it to three straight Finals (1951-53) behind bruising rebounders Harry Gallatin and Nat "Sweetwater" Clifton and star guards Carl Braun and Dick McGuire.
The NBA began the '60s with eight teams in two divisions playing a 75 game schedule but by 1969 the league had expanded to 14 teams and employed the current 82 game schedule. The rival American Basketball Association was founded in 1967-68 with 11 teams in two divisions. The new league featured a 78 game schedule (later expanded to 84) and a free-wheeling style of play highlighted by the three point shot (first used in the short lived ABL in 1961-62), 30 second shot clock and red, white and blue ball. The Celtics dominated the NBA in the '60s, winning nine championships and 571 games. Celtics Hall of Famers from those teams include Bill Russell, Bob Cousy, Bill Sharman, Tom Heinsohn, Sam Jones, K.C. Jones, Frank Ramsey and John Havlicek. The next closest team, the Nats/76ers, won 486 games and one championship. It is worth noting that the 1967 Philadelphia 76ers team that prevented the Celtics from making a clean sweep of the decade won a then-record 68 games and is still considered one of the best single-season squads in league history; that 76ers roster boasted Hall of Famers Wilt Chamberlain, Hal Greer, and Billy Cunningham. The Elgin Baylor-Jerry West Lakers posted the third best record in the '60s, winning 447 games and losing to the Celtics in the Finals six times.
In the '70s the rivalry between the NBA and ABA led to a salary explosion as the two leagues battled fiercely for the services of star players such as Cunningham and Rick Barry. The ABA opened a new front in the war by signing players before their college classes had graduated, a practice which was contested in court when Spencer Haywood jumped from the ABA after one season and signed with the Seattle Supersonics. This landmark case eventually went to the Supreme Court and Haywood's victory led to the institution of a "hardship" rule whereby an underclassman could declare financial hardship and turn pro before his college class had graduated. This paved the way for the early entry of such players as Julius Erving, Moses Malone, Magic Johnson, Isiah Thomas and current stars Kevin Garnett, Kobe Bryant and Tracy McGrady, to name just a few.
The movement of players between teams and leagues and the influx of young talent into the sport made it much more difficult for teams to maintain elite status. No NBA team won repeat championships from 1969 until 1988 (the Indiana Pacers captured consecutive titles in '72 and '73 in the ABA). Eight franchises won NBA titles in the '70s, the most in any decade in NBA history, while four teams claimed championships in the seven ABA seasons during the decade. The New York Knicks and Boston Celtics each won two NBA titles, while the Milwaukee Bucks, Los Angeles Lakers, Golden State Warriors, Portland Trail Blazers, Washington Bullets and Seattle Supersonics captured one apiece; the Pacers led the ABA with three championships, followed by the New York Nets (two), Utah Stars (one) and Kentucky Colonels (one). While the NFL and AFL champions squared off in four Super Bowls before the leagues merged, the NBA and ABA never staged an ultimate championship series, leaving basketball fans to wonder if ABA stars Roger Brown, Artis Gilmore or Dr. J could have played the role of AFL legend Joe Namath.
During the '70s, the Milwaukee Bucks won the most games (492), followed by the Los Angeles Lakers (485), Baltimore/Washington Bullets (483), Boston Celtics (477) and New York Knicks (458). In 1976, the ABA's Denver Nuggets, Indiana Pacers, New York Nets and San Antonio Spurs joined the NBA, while the players from the remaining ABA teams went into a dispersal draft. Of the four ABA teams that survived the decade, the Nuggets won the most games (469; the Nuggets played in seven 84 game ABA seasons and three 82 game NBA seasons, so their actual winning percentage is virtually identical with the Knicks).
Magic Johnson and Larry Bird arrived in the NBA for the 1979-80 season and their teams dominated the league for the next decade. Magic's Lakers appeared in eight Finals, won five championships and totaled 591 wins, while Bird's Celtics made it to five Finals, winning three titles and 592 games. Philadelphia finished third in wins (535), while notching three trips to the Finals and one championship in 1983. The '83 championship team sent four players to the All-Star Game (Maurice Cheeks, Julius Erving, Moses Malone, Andrew Toney) and set a record by going 12-1 in the postseason. Isiah Thomas' Detroit Pistons won the '89 championship by sweeping the Lakers. The Houston Rockets are the only other team to appear in the Finals in the decade, losing to Boston in '81 and '86. The Milwaukee Bucks won 522 games but found the path to the Finals blocked by Boston and Philadelphia. By 1989, the NBA had 25 teams in four divisions. During the '80s the NBA added ABA flavor to All-Star Weekend by bringing back the three point field goal and the Slam Dunk Contest.
Michael Jordan, Scottie Pippen and Coach Phil Jackson were the three constants on the Chicago Bulls teams that won six titles in the '90s. Not surprisingly, the Bulls won the most games in the decade (558), followed by the Utah Jazz (542), Seattle Supersonics (511), Phoenix Suns (503), San Antonio Spurs (496) and Portland Trail Blazers (495). Before the Bulls' title run, the Pistons won the '90 championship against the Trail Blazers. Hakeem Olajuwon's Rockets captured the two championships sandwiched between the Chicago "three-peats." After a lockout limited the '99 season to 50 games, the Spurs romped through the '99 playoffs with a 15-2 record to claim the last championship of the decade.
The Lakers and Spurs are tied with three championships each in the '00s, so the upcoming playoffs could prove to be the tiebreaker to determine the team of this decade.
|Pro Basketball Teams of the Decade
|Bullets/ Pacers--4
Labels: Bill Russell, Boston Celtics, Chicago Bulls, Indiana Pacers, L.A. Lakers, Michael Jordan
posted by David Friedman @ 12:10 AM


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The Women in the Profession Committee of the New Orleans Bar Association is hosting the Inaugural Barristers for Brunch program to honor the first 100 women attorneys in the New Orleans legal community on Thursday, March 20, 2014 at the Sheraton Hotel's Gallery Ballroom, 500 Canal Street, New Orleans. The program will begin at 11 am. Individual tickets may be purchased for $60. Tables of 10 are $600.
This will be the first local event to honor the first 100 women lawyers in the New Orleans legal community. We anticipate a high level of participation at this inaugural event and we want you to be a part of this celebration. To view the First 100 Women Lawyers List, click here.
To register or for information on this program, contact NOBA at (504) 525-7453 or email CC Kahr.
Sponsored by the New Orleans Bar Association. Co-hosted by the Association for Women Attorneys and Loyola University's Association of Women Law Students.


text: If you don't have plans for Memorial Day weekend, then head over to John Sevier's place. May 25-26 is the annual Statehood Days Living History Weekend at Marble Springs State Historic Site in Knoxville. They're hosting militia drills, eighteenth-century demonstrations, a display of guns from the War of 1812, and a presentation on veterans of the Battle of King's Mountain by yours truly. (I think my talk is scheduled for 11:30 on Saturday.)


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Article 4: Cocaine, Ecstasy and Swingers: Social Ventures in Africa?
By: Brian Ray Dinning, JD, LLM and Social Venture Lawyer
July 7, 2012
As you have read in the prior Articles in this Series, for years my goal, vision and passion was, and still is very much so, to help dozens of needy communities in Africa by helping them to create jobs, hope and a better future. But, as you have also read, unpredictable and unfortunate situations, such as the fraud of Wextrust Capital, created obstacles and roadblocks, which necessitated a change in partners or strategy or the direction of the project to ultimately accomplish what I have hoped for and worked toward for many years. Each new change of direction however added a year or more onto each project as it took time to locate new partners, rebuild relationships and hold community and governmental meetings in Africa to communicate the new strategy with our social venture partners.
What do you do when people who you thought you could rely on for professionalism, honesty and integrity demonstrate the complete opposite and instead get in the way of the goal of helping others or your dreams? Think about it – do you just give up on that dream? Does it just become a thing of the past? Or, do you pick yourself up and know that you can overcome any challenge (big or small) by making some changes so you can ultimately fulfill that dream and vision? What you are about to read is one of the many challenging obstacles that created a course for change in the goal of helping the people of Africa.
Since I no longer had a job after quitting Wextrust Captial, having witnessed Joe Shereshevsky reveal himself as a man only too eager to sexually harass women, commit all manner of fraud and indulge himself with prostitutes, I needed to find a new job. Furthermore, I wasn't the only person hurt by Wextrust Capital – many of us had lost time, effort, money and ownership in the three social venture projects. While I had to find a job, we all wanted to continue to move forward with our vision, not willing to give up on the people and projects we'd invested so much in. We all wanted to continue to move forward with our vision of helping the local people of Africa with social venture projects and we all immediately started over – not willing to give up on people in need and on social venture projects that we had all worked so diligently on.
I was hired by a company in Fairfax, Virginia in March 2005 at an annual salary of $250,000 plus bonuses. All of my spare time went toward working on social ventures in Africa. Earth Conservancy, a non-profit that I consulted with over the years, opened an office in Alexandria, Virginia and employed four full-time consultants and several web designers and grant writers. I was asked to coordinate the office in my spare time and to oversee the launch of a fundraising and social venture campaign for Earth Conservancy and Sunpoints Southern Africa to help rebuild the social venture projects. Based upon the hard work of these consultants, I was asked to draft a treatise and power point presentation for the United States Department of State on the subject of for-profit/non-profit ventures entitled "Beyond Micro Enterprise," and was invited by the State Department to speak at the World Africa Growth Opportunity Act Conference in Dakar, Senegal and Washington, DC in 2005 and 2006.
After losing projects to Wextrust Capital, the social venture partners still had the opportunity to resurrect portions of the first three projects as Wextrust Capital's main pursuit was diamond mining. So, once again, we were in need of other financial partners. Having two venture capital firms fail to provide the agreed upon help to the local communities and fail to live up to the promises and agreements made to Sunpoints and the social venture partners, the group discussed raising the needed funds through friends and family to avoid the problems and shortcomings of the Wall Street Investment Banking world. Unfortunately, as you will see, the friends and family option can also be full of challenges and perils.
In 2005, I was discussing my social venture work with Dr. John O, a doctor and former client ("John"). He was fascinated with the social venture work and wanted me to meet two of his friends, Richard L. and Louis D ("Rick" and "Lou"). Both MBAs, Rick was a Business MBA and Lou was a Finance MBA – both very valuable skill sets for any business or social venture project and they operated a successful business. They seemed like the perfect fit and they truly embraced the idea of helping the local communities in Africa. At that time, the social venture partners were seeking to resurrect several community projects including: Honingklip II, a mining project adjacent to the one taken from us by Wextrust Capital, Sunpoints Farm, a farm project, and Lion's Walk Lodge a planned tourism lodge. These projects were controlled by Michael van der Merwe and his brother, Pieter van der Merwe, as the social venture partners. Other social venture projects including amazingly beautiful properties on the Wild Coast of South Africa, which were started by Bossie Bosman as the social venture partner.
After discussing the non-profit and for-profit model of social ventures, Rick, Lou and John said that we should form a company to develop these projects and raise the necessary funding, which they calculated was approximately $10 million. In helping to conduct due diligence, enter into contracts and scope out these potential the projects in 2005, the three men donated money to Earth Conservancy as charitable donations. The donations were used to pay due diligence costs, development expenses, operating expenses for Earth Conservancy, consulting fees, business expenses, travel and entertainment expenses and personal expenses pursuant to written Consulting Agreements and Business Plans.[1] All funds that were wired to South Africa in 2005 for the scoping of these potential projects were sent to two South African social venture partners: Michael van der Merwe and Bossie Bosman.
On the for-profit side, Rick, Lou, John and I agreed to form a company called Pure Africa Management so that the four of us could all keep track of our consulting time and expenses and be reimbursed for that time and expenses as money became available from investors or from the potential project cash flow. This was all documented in the voluminous Private Placement Memorandum and other documentation of the newly-forming Pure Africa Sustainable Development Fund, managed by Pure Africa Management. I was asked to work full-time on the documentation, business plans and power point presentations. John said that he would set up meetings at his home or at the office of Rick and Lou and they would invite their friends and colleagues to explain the projects to them so that they could raise the $10 million of necessary funding. Rick would handle business administration and community relations in the Hampton Roads area and Lou would be the Chief Financial Officer and manage the funds and books of the business including the preparation of financial statements.
Before taking any outside investment, all four of us agreed that a due diligence trip to verify the existence of the projects, review the documentation, meet the South African social venture partners, meet the professional team including Sotheby's International Realty and Smith Tabata Law Firm was necessary and prudent. In January, 2006, we traveled to South Africa to view all projects and determine which projects to focus on. In taking this trip, I was again asked to work full-time as a consultant for Pure Africa Management and the Pure Africa Sustainable Development Fund, LLC starting in February, 2006 by Rick, Lou and John. In accepting this position, a Consulting Agreement documenting my consulting compensation was agreed to and signed. Like everyone, I had bills to pay and personal obligations like child support, housing, food, car payments and more plus I would be leaving a lucrative job to focus on more risky social ventures start-up projects as a consultant.
The three men assured me that they would raise the necessary funds to pay my consulting fees of $250,000 plus all expenses for me to work full-time. My employer did not want me working on African projects and instead wanted all my time and effort devoted to their company. When I went on the due diligence trip in January, 2006 and committed to full-time work with these three men at Pure Africa Sustainable Development Fund, LLC, I would be leaving a good job. However, I was excited by the new consulting work and the help from Rick, Lou and John on the social ventures and with this newly forming endeavor, we headed out for South Africa.
The trip was truly amazing at first and we visited the tourism site at Lion's Walk Lodge, where Sunpoints Southern Africa had secured a contract to purchase this farm in 2004 and a financial partner was needed to help build a tourism lodge there. We also visited a possible diamond mine claim at the Farm Rugalatte named Honingklip II[2] and the Sunpoints Farms, large operating farms in the Free State of South Africa.[3] We then flew to the Wild Coast of South Africa to view the project at Hole in the Wall and other sites.[4] Hole in the Wall is a National Heritage Site for South Africa and it is truly beautiful.[5] The trip was going very well and Rick, Lou and John seemed to be excellent business and financial partners to grow these social ventures for the people of Africa and provide the necessary funding.
But, as always, circumstances change and the entire project would have to be radically altered by what I and two other trip participants refer to as "The Trip from Hell." Once we were at the Wild Coast, we set up camp in Jeffreys Bay, a world-renowned surfing town located a few hours from the Wild Coast. The first night, we ate at a local Mexican restaurant, as it was the only restaurant that was open. When we were getting ready to leave after dinner, I noticed that John was gone. I asked Rick and Lou "What happened to John?" They replied, "he went with a guy he met at the bar to get some party supplies." "What party supplies? – Africa is a dangerous place at night and he left with a total stranger," I said. I was genuinely worried and concerned for John's safety.
Later that night, I went to the room of Rick, Lou and John to check if John had returned. On the glass dining room table, I witnessed several bags of white powder and lots of pills. I asked "what is this?" John said he "bought eight grams of cocaine and 100 ecstasy pills to make the trip more fun." Shocked by this, I said to John and the other guys: "this is so wrong – first, because you bought drugs, second, because this is Africa and you could go to prison and third, we are on a business trip to help represent our social venture partners and this is not the way to help others in need." Laughing off my comments, John asked after he snorted a long line of white powder, "do you guys want to do some coke with us?" Disgusted and dismayed by John, three of us declined and went back to our own rooms leaving John, Rick, Lou and one of our companions in their room with their newly-acquired drug cache.
Back at my room, we all discussed what we had just seen. I worried most of the night and the rest of the trip. I did not even want to be in he same vehicle or lodging with these guys. Thoughts of Rick, Lou and John going to jail in South Africa for illegal drug possession, harming the other members on our business trip, going to the hospital for a drug overdose and other concerns about their conduct plagued me for the rest of the trip. I was awoken later that same night by sounds outside my third floor balcony so I jumped out of bed and ran to the balcony door. There was Rick and Lou trying to break into my room by climbing from balcony to balcony some twenty feet or more above the ground. I said, "what in the world are you guys doing?" In an excited and intoxicated state, they said, "we want the car keys to go get some food and drinks." "At two o'clock in the morning?" I asked. I told them to "go back to bed because we have a schedule to keep tomorrow morning" and with that the men laughed, took the car keys and left.
The next morning we were late for our scheduled activities so three of us went to check on John and the others. John and a travel companion came out to open the door and we went into the kitchen and sat down – trying to get everyone up and moving. Scantily clad and with white powder and crusty snot outlining their noses, the travel companion told us that "we stayed up most of the night partying" as this person drank directly out of a two liter bottle of coca cola and burped loudly. John just seemed groggy and out-of-it. Needless to say, the three of them and a companion proceeded to party for a week straight, while being late to most of the scheduled meetings. They stayed up all night and slept most of the day. Their partying and behavior was so obvious and embarrassing that Bossie Bosman and our local partners asked me to never bring them to the local community projects again. The embarrassment was only heightened when one of the men, apparently too intoxicated to get up, simply went to the bathroom in his bed, which cost us $500 in damages from the lodge owner. I also received bar bills for thousands of dollars of drinks from the places we stayed from their late night drinking and partying binges that they simply did not pay.
Do these seem like the type of people you would want working with you to you help you accomplish your goals and vision?
Because the local people are working with us on a trust relationship, I was told that we cannot have Rick, Lou and John representing the social venture partners in front of the local chiefs, the tribal council, the community and the government. I was shocked and embarrassed and I did not know what to do at that point. What would you do if you were working with a poor community in Africa who is counting on you and the social venture partners to help them with their most valuable assets and you find out that some of the people on your team were using drugs and acting inappropriately?
Furthermore, unbeknownst to me, John and his wife were swingers and near the end of the trip, he said, "I think my wife would like you and your wife, so would you be interested in swapping wives when we get home?" Stunned by this question, I said to him that my wife and I loved each other and we were not interested in that lifestyle. However, I was stunned and amazed at this turn of events: I just left my job to start a new company with these three men and now I am in the middle of a complete mess. This is one aspect of social ventures that I did not expect to encounter: cocaine, ecstasy and swingers.
Upon our return to the United States, I had to begin making plans to slowly distance myself from my new partners and yet at the same time, we were already setting up a new fund, The Pure Africa Sustainable Development Fund that would be operated by Pure Africa Management with project ownership to be held by Pure Africa Holdings. John had already invited friends and colleagues to meet for presentations on the Fund on several occasions in late 2005 and early 2006. One of the first investors into the Fund was a long time friend of John and also a friend of Rick and Lou. His name was Dr. Allan Stiner of Norfolk, Virginia. After one of these informal gatherings organized by John, Dr. Stiner told the Fund that he wanted to invest in the social ventures because he had just inherited millions of dollars from his father and had money to invest. At Dr. Stiner's request, a Private Placement Memorandum documenting the potential projects and the risks inherent in investing in projects in Africa, a Subscription Agreement and other legal documents were provided to Dr. Stiner for he and his legal counsel to review.
Pure Africa Management agreed to allow Dr. Stiner to invest his $250,000 into the Fund in February, 2006. In February, 2006, in a meeting with Dr. Stiner at his home, he reviewed the legal documents one final time and signed the Subscription Agreement. However, in making his investment, he had one other request: he would only invest his money if Rick, Lou and John had no access to it as he was aware of the bad behavior of the group in South Africa the month before. Dr. Stiner read the substantial Private Placement Memorandum of the Fund and he signed his Subscription Agreement (both legal documents which detail the risks of the project along with background information). Dr. Stiner then gave me a check written out to me personally as the Fund had not yet set up its bank accounts. The $250,000 was deposited into the Sunpoints Southern Africa bank account as the Fund had acquired all of the Sunpoints Southern Africa projects in South Africa including its bank account. With these funds, my outstanding invoices were paid for the time and effort I had put into the social venture projects and necessary project and business expenses were paid.
Based upon the strange events of The Trip from Hell in January, 2006 and my recent departure from my paying job, I was paid as a consultant pursuant to a written Consulting Agreement with the Fund through its bank account in Sunpoints Southern Africa for a large portion of my 2006 pay because I was feeling very uncertain about my future with Rick, Lou and John. Furthermore, since I was the only person working full-time, the Fund managers knew that I was relying on my consulting pay to relocate from Washington, DC to the Virginia Beach area. With my consulting pay and funds loaned to me by my family, I was able to purchase a home in Suffolk, Virginia. With my two children and the hopes of having additional children and/or adopting children, my wife and I bought a five-bedroom home in a nice neighborhood where my children had many friends and an area that was very safe and close to my children's school. [6]
By mid-2006, the Fund had five investors who invested a total of $545,000, one of whom was John and the others were his friends and colleagues, whom he invited and recruited into the Fund. Lou prepared financial statements and balance sheets and Rick prepared status reports for the Fund investors. I provided needed help from the business plan writing and coordinating with South Africa and US legal counsel. However, the Fund was dysfunctional because of the prior serious actions by John and others and the inherent mistrust caused by their potentially criminal actions. Furthermore, the drug use, partying and lack of professionalism had ruined their reputation with the social venture partners. I was forced to adapt and change the projects already underway and restructure midway or have all of us lose everything to financial partners once again. At my request, we all agreed that the Fund would stop raising money for the foreseeable future, in my mind, to protect other financial partners against any further potential loss or negative actions.
Once again, I had just left a high-paying job to work full-time on social venture projects as a consultant for Pure Africa Management and the Fund and now, I was faced with an uncertain future: a new home and social venture projects that did not have a reliable funding source or a reliable management team.
While the events of this story seem outlandish or unbelievable, there were seven witnesses to the cocaine, ecstasy and swinger Trip from Hell (including John, Rick and Lou). One witness stated, "it was the worst trip I have ever taken in my life." Another witness said that, "I was initially excited to see three professional men like Rick, Lou and John getting involved to help the needy in Africa but I was deeply saddened and disturbed when I saw this unethical behavior by three professional men who were husbands and who had families acting in such a reckless manner by taking drugs and partying in an out-of-control way. While on the trip, I was scared to be anywhere near them because they were carrying such a large amount of drugs and acting so childishly and unprofessional. Later, I was hurt that these men not only let down the poor people in Africa and potentially ruined the vision of the company because they misrepresented the company, the projects and they gave the people of Africa a negative impression of Americans. In meeting with government officials, Sotheby's, the local chiefs and the community, it was embarrassing to have them in meetings because they looked hung over and unprofessional."
If you do not believe me, then perhaps legal counsel will ask them on the witness stand under penalty of perjury to tell the truth. If they do not do so, then there are four witnesses who can testify to their actions. Once again, the social venture projects needed a funding partner and a management team and, unfortunately, the next partners were equally as challenging in their behavior and more devastating to the projects than anyone else.
Again I will ask, what would you do in a situation like this? Give up your dream? Give up the opportunity to help thousands of people have a better life? Or, do you pick yourself up and know that you can overcome any challenge (big or small) by restructuring and making some changes so you can ultimately fulfill that dream and vision and protect others from the negative actions of a few.
The next article in the series is: Murder-for-Hire, Aggressive Bad Press Campaign and Other Distasteful Actions: Social Ventures in Africa?
[1] See Letter from William Brown, Ph.D to Asst. United States Attorney, Stephen Haynie acknowledging my consulting agreement at Earth Conservancy and payment of consulting fees, and personal and business expenses.
[2] See http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=KDRhTrs7PyM&feature=channel&list=UL Social venture partners, Michael van der Merwe and his brother Pieter van der Merwe, take us on a tour of the Honingklip I Diamond Mine and show us the adjacent site of The Farm Rugalatte named Honingklip II. Funds were sent to Michael van der Merwe in 2005 to secure the mining claim and necessary bonding so that due diligence could be done on the potential mining project.
[3] See Video at http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=jxE7zjXsgTo&feature=channel&list=UL Social venture partners Pieter van der Merwe along with the farm manager take us on a tour of the Sunpoints Farms in the Free State Province of South Africa. As working farms, the goal of this social venture projects was to educate the local people in modern farming methods and to operate profitable farms. Funds were sent to Michael van der Merwe in 2005 and 2006 to sign contracts to become a social venture partner in this existing farming operation.
[4] See Video at http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=OysOjCVKXB0&feature=channel&list=UL After the local leaders and our Xhosa community social venture partners greeted us with traditional dancing, Rick, Lou, John and I were escorted around The Cliffs at Coffee Bay golf course by social venture partner, Bossie Bosman. The golf course is owned by the local community and they leased it to Earth Conservancy and Pure Africa so that the golf course could be renovated. World renowned golf architects and other golf experts were flown in to prepare a plan to renovate the golf course in 2006 and 2007. Ault Clark and other golf experts commented that The Cliffs at Coffee Bay was similar to Pebble Beach with cliffs and sweeping ocean views.
[5] See Video at http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=M-9E-8qtpW0&feature=channel&list=UL Social venture partner, Bossie Bosman takes us on a tour of the Hole in the Wall project. Hole in the Wall is a National Heritage Site for South Africa and it holds significant cultural value for the Xhosa community. As one of the premier natural tourist sites in South Africa, Hole in the Wall is regarded by Sotheby's and other professionals as a major tourism lodging site. Funds were sent to Bossie Bosman in 2005 and continuing to allow for Earth Conservancy and Pure Africa to become social venture partners at the Hole in the Wall project. With 50 oceanfront lodge sites and a hotel site, the plans at Hole in the Wall would allow for up to $6M of lodge lease income and continuing revenues from the hotel site. The project is structured with 45% ownership by the local Xhosa community.
[6] When Rick, Lou and John first set up investor presentations in 2005 and early 2006, I was working full-time for Trident Systems, Inc. for $250,000 plus bonuses and I was also working as a consultant for several social venture companies. In February, 2006, I was hired as a consultant by the Pure Africa Sustainable Development Fund and I was also a consultant for Earth Conservancy and other projects. My combined consulting contracts were designed to provide me with $350,000 or more of income as and when funding was available.


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This product is out of stock
The Long Run coat is already a cult piece. In pure wool beaver, it has a robe-style cut, maxi lapels and a belt at the waist. The midi-length version of the Runaway model is an icon of MAX&Co. style, to be worn nonchalantly over formal or informal looks.
Product name: LONGRUN
Product code: 4011950003002
Distributed by Manifatture del Nord S.r.l. Unipersonale, with registered office in Reggio Emilia (Italia), Via Mazzacurati n. 6, 42122
Fabric: 100% wool; Lining: 100% polyester.
Do not wash in water. Do not bleach. Iron at max. 110 °C using a damp cloth between the iron and the fabric. Dry clean with perchloroethylene. Do not tumble dry.


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This year at work there was a contest to make the best ornament for the Christmas tree. We, the IT Department, almost never participate in these activities. Well, this year we did. At work I was shown a star cut from a computer motherboard by Robert. Amanda asked, "Hey, can you put lights on this?" I said "Yes, I can use an Arduino". I took the star home to made a prototype.
The prototype took a couple hours to cobble together and program. The program makes the lights dim, get brighter and blink using an Arduino UNO some LEDs and resisters. I brought this back to work and everyone liked it. A few more holes were drilled and given back to me with a CPU glued into the socket.
Below it he back of the ornament I ended up with…
The finished ornament! There was no hole for the LED on the leg with the power plug, so I brought the LED around to the front of the star.
My workstation on the kitchen table with a $5 soldering iron.
The ornament did not win the contest at work.


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River Cleanup Aug. 26
Swan Lakers is devoted to preserving and improving the water quality and natural, cultural, and historical resources of Swan Lake, Montana; including its headwaters, its drainages, and appurtenant lands.
Established as a non-profit 501(c) (3) in 2005, Swan Lakers is a group of friends and neighbors who value the unique character and quality of our community, much of which is based on the pristine nature of the Swan Basin watershed. Our efforts to preserve and protect this valuable resource include Water Quality Studies, Aquatic Invasive Species Inspections, the Adopt-a-Highway MDOT program, and Swan River Cleanups. Our organization serves members and the greater community by providing the data, discussion and educational material necessary to make informed decisions regarding issues that affect the watershed's present and future well being. Through collaborative efforts with other community organizations and government entities, we work to build a consensus that allows all those who appreciate our special home, residents and visitors alike, the opportunity to maintain the quality of life we all enjoy. Participation from all who share the Swan Lakers vision is encouraged. Photos for Banner by Kay Bjork.
Keep Ferndale Beautiful!
Thank you to the 10 Volunteers that showed up on July 8th for our Adopt-a-Highway Cleanup…it was a hot one!
Our 2017 Annual Meeting and Appreciation Party will be held on Sunday, August 6th starting at 5:00 pm. Keep an eye out for your invitation coming in the mail soon.
June 6, 2017 – Mussels detected…
May 1, 2017
Aquatic Invasive Species - With regard to AIS, their spread is a growing problem across the United States and Canada. AIS that threaten Montana include Quaga and Zebra mussels, Curly Leaf Pondweed and Eurasian Millfoil. Montana is, for the moment, free of Quaga and Zebra mussels. However, their range is growing since they are easily moved from place to place on trailered watercraft. The introduction of these mussels would be a catastrophe for Montana's waterways in terms of appearance and the effect on fishing. They reproduce rapidly in the millions fouling shorelines, clinging to structures like pilings, and clogging irrigation systems. They are filter feeders that interrupt the food chain that supports our fish populations. They can literally destroy a fishery.
The Swan Lakers carry out inspections of watercraft to screen for the presence of AIS. Please see the section of our website, "Get Involved and Volunteer", and join us in protecting Swan Lake and its watershed. More information is available from the Flathead Basin Commission: http://www.flatheadbasincommission.org/chd_sec3pg2.asp
Water Quality Summary Report: The goal of the Swan Lake Water Quality Investigation was to collect water quality information for Swan Lake over a four year period (2010-2013) and compare to baseline data to develop trend analysis and to provide information to resource decision makers. This study is now complete, see Final Report 2014. Learn More ->
Swan River Gauging Station Click on link below for up to date data.
Recent Posts
Recent Comments
- Kitty Kellogg on Water Quality Final Report 2014


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I write to announce that on Friday, June 9, 2000 I will be hosting a workshop here at the Endowment on the subject of state and regional encyclopedias. During a day of presentations and discussions, the Endowment will bring individuals and project teams currently working on an encyclopedia together with people who wish to explore the possibility of undertaking such a project in their state or region. I expect the occasion to be an opportunity for both participants and Endowment staff members to learn more about state and regional encyclopedia projects, their differences and similarities, successes and challenges, and the lessons that have been learned by projects already begun or nearing completion. The workshop is open to anyone actively conducting, or contemplating, a state or regional encyclopedia project.
The presentations will begin with case studies of two encyclopedia projects: the New Georgia Encyclopedia, an effort that is being led by the Georgia Humanities Council; and The New Handbook of Texas, a joint project of The General Libraries at the University of Texas at Austin and the Texas State Historical Association. Questions and comments about the case studies will be addressed by a panel of people who are working on encyclopedias. Panel members may be expected to provide remarks on their own projects as well. Technology will be a particular emphasis of the workshop, especially the use of electronic technologies for developing encyclopedias and the movement of print editions to electronic formats. Discussion will be encouraged among all participants. As we each learn from the experience of current and previous projects, I hope we will also generate ideas and enthusiasm about new ones.
If you have any questions or would like additional information, please call Frank Shaw at 202.606.8428. He may also be reached by email at @email. Please contact us by May 20th if you are interested in attending the workshop.
William R. Ferris
Summary Information
Date and location: June 9, 2000 at the National Endowment for the Humanities (M07 or M09).
Purpose: To bring individuals and project teams currently working on a state or regional encyclopedia together with people who wish to explore the possibility of undertaking such a project in their state. Technology will be a particular emphasis, especially the use of electronic technologies for developing encyclopedias and the movement of print editions to electronic formats.
Chairman's Introduction.
Case Study I: New Georgia Encyclopedia. Jamil Zainaldin, et. al.
Case Study II: The New Handbook of Texas. Ron Tyler, Editor.
Respondents Panel: Jim Grossman of the Chicago Encyclopedia, Rima Schultz of the Chicago Encyclopedia of Women, David Wishart of the Encyclopedia of the Great Plains, and David Watters of the Encyclopedia of New England Culture.
"Creating a Dynamic Encyclopedia." Presentation by Edward Zalta of the Stanford Encyclopedia of Philosophy.
"Turning Print Encyclopedias into Electronic Reference Projects." Presentation by Sylvia Miller, Editor at Routledge and Garland.
Roundtable discussion.


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If you've never experienced the breathtaking beauty of the Havasu Canyon, you need to put this awe-inspiring place on your "to-go" list asap! The colors will astound you: the reds, oranges, and yellows of the surrounding canyon (Havasu is an offshoot of the famous Grand Canyon), the unreal blue-green waters of Havasu Creek, and the popping green of the cottonwoods in the base camp combine to form a spectacular vacation destination for you and your family! I wanted to share a few of my favorite memories of this trip to inspire you to take an adventure vacation with ALA!
One of my favorite memories of my Havasupai Vacation that I took with my mom on a college Spring break was stepping, sliding, and climbing down the travertine cliffs near Mooney Falls using chain railings and stanchions sunk in the jagged rock. Talk about excitement: seeing this 196 foot waterfall from above, midway, and below, all while carefully making our way down steps carved into the rock through caves and around rock faces, is an awesome experience I will never forget!
Another memory I will always remember is when our guide, Stephan swam with me and a few other brave souls behind Havasu Falls. Swimming under that pounding 100 foot waterfall had my adrenaline running on high, but we soon made it under the roaring falls (it doesn't sound that loud until you're actually in the falls!) From there, we looked up to find a ladder that climbs to a low lying niche behind the falls. From this niche, we were able to jump through the falls, emerging mid-air for a brief second before disappearing into the deep blue-green waters below. What a rush!
Of course, there are many ways to enjoy this beautiful canyon, and if you're looking for hiking vacations (with some camping and swimming involved), this is the place for you! I don't want to give anymore away (I could truly continue to relive the memories) because you need to experience this wonder for yourself. Hope to make more memories soon on a Havasupai Adventure!
See you on the trails!
Kasey Austin


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Due to current COVID-19 virus situation customers living in regions severely impacted by the coronavirus may experience delays in deliveries. UPS is continuing to deliver packages. Countries which have declared a state of public health emergency may see potential delays in services. Customers can visit www.ups.com to check the status of the shipments. This does not affect production. Stay safe and take care of your loved ones!
Cover for KARLSTAD Two-seat sofa and chaise longue right
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About the product
Cover for IKEA KARLSTAD two-seat sofa and chaise longue right - Rimini Saddle Brown. Neutrals (black, grey, white, and brown) are basic to the decorator's tool kit. All-neutral schemes fall in and out of fashion, but their virtue lies in their flexibility: add color to liven things up; subtract it to calm things down. Comfortable brown is the Feng Shui color of Earth. Brown shades are the Chinese symbol of reliability, usability and consistency. Dark brown is not good for wall painting, but it is perfect for furniture, curtains or carpets, especially to Feng Shui the bedroom or living room interiors, creating comfortable, warm and cozy decor.
Please note this custom cover is tailored by CoverCouch to fit the IKEA KARLSTAD two-seat sofa and chaise longue right model. Sofa is not included and is available at IKEA.
Please note this custom cover is tailored by CoverCouch to fit the IKEA KARLSTAD two-seat sofa and chaise longue right model. Sofa is not included and is available at IKEA.
Fabric key facts
- 40% Polyester, 31% Acrylic, 29% Polyamide
- Microfiber
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About the fabric
Rimini is a 40% Polyester, 31% Acrylic, 29% Polyamide fabric. Rimini is microfiber. Microfiber fabric is lightweight, durable, and somewhat water repellent. Rimini is soft to the touch and is easy to clean. Designed to resist stains and soiling. Amazingly easy to care for. In most cases, a little soap and water are all that's required to restore the fabric to its original state. They are machine washable and dryable. Rimini fabric keep up with the thrills and spills of youreveryday life. Its initial repellency causes liquids to bead up on the surface of the fabric, making cleaning easy – blotting with a cloth is usually all that is needed, even with difficult stains like coffee and wine. Rimini fabric proof that environmentally-responsible products can stand at the forefront of performance fabric design. Rimini fabric is completely free of PCPs and CFCs, and are Oeko-Tex certified, making them some of the most enviromentally-friendly fabrics on the market.
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Fabric details
|40% Polyester, 31% Acrylic, 29% Polyamide
|Width, cm
|Weight, g/m2
|295 +- 10
|Colour fastness to light
|Colour fastness to rubbing
|Wet min.3/4 - Dry min.4 (ISO105-X12)
|Abrasion resistance
|>25000 cycles (Martindale EN ISO 12947)
|Tear Strength
|Tensile Strength
|Production / Supplier
Care instructions
Liquid Stains: Blot the liquid stain gently with a high-absorbent material. Pat dry the area gently with a dry material to remove the remaining humidity (cotton cloth, paper towel, etc.). If the stain from the spill remains, remove the stain with a soapy cloth without diffusing the stain. After each rubbing motion, refresh the clean soapy cloth in order to prevent soiling. Solid Particles: Remove the excess soiling with ultimate care without diffusing. Remove the solid particle from the fabric surface with the help of a soft spatula. To remove dust, use a vacuum cleaner or a soft brush. The remaining stains should be removed by rubbing with a soapy cloth in circular motion. Ball-point pen and similar difficult stains: Dampen a clean cotton cloth in a white soap solution. Rub the stain off gently. Clean the surface with the damp cloth and leave the fabric for drying. Alcohol derives, Petroleum and alkali based solvents should not be used for cleaning. After all cleaning processes, the drying should be done with a low temperature blow dryer in large circular motion or the fabric should be left for natural drying. After drying, mis-oriented and damaged piles should be fixed with a soft brush.
Machine wash at 40°C. Don't use chlorine bleach. Tumble dry at low temperature. Cool iron. Keep away from direct sun.
Machine wash at 40°C. Don't use chlorine bleach. Tumble dry at low temperature. Cool iron. Keep away from direct sun.
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cover for EKTORP three seat sofa- velvet blue
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One of Papua New Guinea's most notorious and violent criminals, William Kapris, has been shot and killed by PNG police.National Capital District and Central Divisional Commander Jim Andrews has told reporters that the events follow a tip from the public, ending a nearly three-month manhunt.
|Photo: One of Papua New Guinea's most notorious criminals, William Kapris, has been killed in a shoot-out with PNG police.
Reports from Port Moresby General Hospital suggest Kapris and fellow escapee Raphael Walimini were both in a shoot-out with police outside the capital, and were taken to the hospital late yesterday evening.
Kapris and Walimini escaped from the maximum security Bomana prison in May, using two pistols allegedly smuggled in by a guard.
Kapris is well known in PNG for his daring bank robberies and three prison escapes.
A reward of $US46,000 was offered for information that leads to his capture, but police said the public response was slow.
In June, Commander Andrews said he was aware his own officers are assisting the bank robber to hide in the capital.


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Whether you're an art lover or someone who's looked at nonrepresentational art and thought, "My six-year-old could do that," Goodman Theatre's production of Red is for you.
This play offers humor as well as fascinating insights into the work of Mark Rothko, a major American artist who's considered an abstract expressionist, a term Rothko detested. We go into his studio, see how he works, and hear what he thinks about art. A commission for a series of murals in the Four Seasons restaurant brings him the success he both desires and fears; there's a price for his success. And we see the young assistant, Ken, who may be one of the "small mammals" coming to replace the "dinosaur" Rothko.
Yet playwright John Logan says, "I think audiences respond to the flamboyant grandeur and intensity of the character, but what really moves them is the father-son relationship between these two men. To me the play is really not about art or painting at all; it's about fathers and sons." Specifically Logan and his own father, the playwright said in a recent interview.
The Tony Award-winning Red provides a lot of food for thought in a 100-minute play.
"What do you see?" Rothko asks young Ken.
We ask ourselves the same question as we look at the large red and black shapes on the canvas hanging center stage: What do we see? And just like that, we're involved in Logan's two-man play that traces the changing nature of the relationship between an older successful artist and a younger aspiring one.
Every change of scene in this play without an intermission is marked by the change to a different Rothko painting and a different tone in the men's relationship.
There are a few moments of stillness at the opening of the play before the bristling energy of Edward Gero as Mark Rothko drives the play forward. The first crackling lines of dialogue show us a monumentally self-absorbed older man questioning and bullying a slim young man in a suit (Patrick Andrews), who comes hoping to be Rothko's assistant.
The actors offer an interesting contrast in physical stature and emotional power in the opening scene. Gero, who spent a year researching Rothko, is totally convincing as an artist of high intelligence, broad learning, deep thought, and tremendous sensitivity and concern for his paintings. Sensitivity and concern for people, not so much.
Patrick Andrews, equally believable as Rothko's assistant, plays a fictional character, so instead of researching a real person, he had to create his young character's past life.
We feel that Rothko isn't so much changing during the play as being more fully revealed, while Ken's character has an arc and Andrews expertly conveys each step in his growth.
Both men throw themselves into a wonderfully energetic scene in which the two men lay on the first coat of paint on a canvas in a minute-and-20-second orgasmically frenzied scene, followed by their exhaustion, recovery, and a surprising aftermath. (Gero's blog of the process of preparing for the play, including some footage of Gero and Andrews learning to apply the base color to the canvas (first with water, then with paint) can be found at http://geroasrothko.wordpress.com/ )
All aspects of the production are excellent, starting with Artistic Director Robert Falls' direction for this American premiere. While a British production in New York followed the original opening in London, playwright Logan has said, "I always knew I wanted the first major original American production of Red to take place in Chicago, the city where I was 'Ken'—an aspiring artist just starting out in a thrilling time of talent and opportunity."
The setting in Rothko's high-ceilinged Bowery studio in New York City in the late 1950s is satisfyingly realized, with its clutter of canvases, paint buckets, lots of paint brushes, and a single green Adirondack chair, by set designer Todd Rosenthal.
One of the delights of the production is seeing the studio and the details of Rothko's work: watching the "cooking" of paint in a bucket over a burner, seeing some of the work for which Ken was hired (building frames over which he staples canvas and helping Rothko hoist large canvases onto a vertical rig for painting and viewing).
Richard Woodbury's original music and sound design draw us in from the beginning of the play, providing some nice variety to the sound of the men's voices, sometimes in the background or highlighting one especially exciting scene and indicating the differences in musical taste of the characters.
Similarly, the costume design by Birgit Rattenborg Wise effectively sets the period and reinforces the generation gap between the two characters.
Keith Parham provides a soft, protective light for the paintings in the studio that we can't appreciate until we suddenly see the studio and the art in a startlingly different way.
Goodman Theatre
170 North Dearborn Street
Chicago, IL 60601
Tickets ($25 – $84) are currently on sale at GoodmanTheatre.org
Box Office
Group Sales
Mezztix are half-price mezzanine tickets available at 12 noon at the box office, and at 10am online (promo code MEZZTIX) day of performance; Mezztix are not available by telephone. 10Tix are $10 rear mezzanine tickets for students available at 12 noon at the box office, and at 10am online on the day of performance; 10Tix are not available by telephone; a valid student I.D. must be presented when picking up the tickets; limit four per student with I.D. All tickets are subject to availability and handling fees apply.
Discounted Group Tickets for 10 persons or more are available at 312.443.3820.


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The 2012 GOP Twitter Primary
This post originally appeared on Slate.
The next Republican presidential campaign will happen in lots of new places. There will be all the familiar locations we love so much--Iowa, New Hampshire, diners, and Lincoln Day dinners--but this week offered another reminder, as if we needed one, that the race for the 2012 nomination will play out in the virtual world and at hyperspeed. For the next 18 months, there will be stories and controversies and entire news cycles (or mini-cycles) in which the candidates deliver their messages but in which no one is actually seen speaking.
The most successful adopter is Sarah Palin on Facebook. She's been posting messages on the social network for months. Last week she endorsed Karen Handel in the Republican primary in Georgia, which drew a sharp response from one of Handel's GOP challengers, and responded to the NAACP resolution calling on the Tea Party to denounce racism. "The charge that Tea Party Americans judge people by the color of their skin is false, appalling," she wrote, "and is a regressive and diversionary tactic to change the subject at hand."
In politics, the general rule used to be that, to get yourself involved in a story, you had to haul yourself in front of a camera. Not so much anymore. Palin's post was mentioned in nearly every story about the resolution, including on the network news. (It helped that this was a fight producers couldn't resist, and that Palin attracts a big audience.)
Then Newt Gingrich, who announced this week that he's seriously considering running for president, inserted himself into the story in the role of peacemaker and wise man. He suggested on Twitter that the NAACP and Tea Party could come together. "The naacp has opened up a wonderful opportunity for the tea party movement. Local tea party leaders across america should reach out. ... If tea party leaders contact local naacp chapters and offer to cohost local townhalll meetings a wonderful dialogue could begin." Gingrich loses points for verbosity--his message took two tweets--but he wins them back with liberal use of lowercase and misspellings.
On Friday, Mark Halperin published a column in Time that quoted an anonymous Romney adviser knocking Palin as not serious. The story was burning through the political Twitter world until @MittRomney tweeted: "TIME says unnamed advisors disparaged @SarahPalinUSA. Anonymous numbskulls. She's proven her smarts; they've disproven theirs."
Smart move, Governor. It's too early to get into an anonymous battle with Palin. As an adviser to another 2012 Republican hopeful put it when presented with an opportunity to bash another member of the party, "We're in the business of making friends." There's no upside in knocking Palin, who may not run for president but will certainly be in a position to influence a lot of voters. Romney also wins stylistic points for use of the word "numbskull," an awfully voicey choice for a candidate who can seem wooden.
In the end, all of this jockeying may have the same marginal affect on the race that road sign jockeying does. But it's clear that the candidates are taking it seriously as a way to get around the traditional media or present themselves in ways that the traditional media pick up quickly.
The downside to all of this lightning quick, context-free communication seems easier to see. Gingrich proved it when he fired off a blast about Sonia Sotomayor being a racist several months ago. He had to retreat from his remarks, but if he ends up running as a national candidate in states with a Hispanic electorate, he'll probably be asked about that tweet again by the press and his opponents.
There will also come a time when candidates like Romney don't want to knock down the anonymous quotes in the press. All candidates find it useful to have messages conveyed anonymously without having to own up to them. When this happens, and reporters ask questions, reporters are told the candidate is too busy to sit for an interview and simply can't answer every claim made by an anonymous source. But now with such a low bar--who doesn't have time for a 140-character response?--it will be harder for candidates to hide.
These new venues aren't replacements for the old ways. Someone like Mitt Romney still needs to publish columns on the op-ed page of the Washington Post, where it will be read by people who still think Twitter is something birds do in the morning. It just means there are new ways for candidates to compete and push their message--and new ways to measure candidates against one another. Almost nothing matters more than money raised in politics, and as the second quarter comes to a close, the totals are being closely watched. But here's another list: the Twitter accounts of potential 2012 hopefuls:
Newt Gingrich: 1,308,757 followers, 1,925 tweets
Sarah Palin: 191,164 followers, 347 tweets
Mike Huckabee: 83,297 followers, 1,188 tweets
Tim Pawlenty: 16,464 followers, 235 tweets
Mitt Romney: 14,347 followers, 241 tweets
Haley Barbour: 6,357 followers, 264 tweets
Mitch Daniels: 3,451 followers, 457 tweets
Haley Barbour and Mitch Daniels are such outliers that Twitter hasn't even bothered to verify their accounts, the way it does with celebrities and politicians. It's a tiny indication of their place in the race right now. Still, if they're serious about running, they'll make sure to get verified soon enough.
More from Slate:
What's Behind House Democrats' Complaints about the Obama White House
Can Today's Congress Tell Tomorrow's Congress What to Do?
The Lessons of 1982
John Dickerson is a CBS News political analyst. He is also Slate's chief political correspondent and author of On Her Trail. You can also follow him on Twitter here.


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Students share success of EcoCAR effort
Students share success of EcoCAR effort
UNIVERSITY PARK, Pa. -- An interdisciplinary effort by Penn State students to design and improve a working hybrid vehicle has been bolstered by a group of communications students who have helped raise awareness about the project.
The EcoCAR 2 Competition, sponsored by the U.S. Department of Energy and General Motors, challenges teams from 15 universities across North America to achieve greater efficiency while reducing greenhouse emissions and petroleum consumption. Teams are judged on engineering components as well as business and communications success during the three-year program that started in 2011.
Seven students play an important role in the communications efforts for the Penn State team, and they have a high standard to uphold because the team earned second place for its efforts in that area of the competition last year.
"Last year the communications team was so successful because we weren't afraid to ask for help. We built relationships with Penn State, competition sponsors, schools and community members," said Taylor Kidd, a senior public relations and economics major from Mechanicsburg, Pa., who leads the communications team. "Many successful public relations efforts depend on relationships like that."
At the end of this academic year, the students' work will be evaluated during a weeklong competition of tests conducted in Yuma, Ariz., to determine the vehicle's production readiness. In addition, the team will make presentations in San Diego, Calif., about their work. Last year, Penn State's vehicle team won six awards.
Kidd and members of the communications team have been especially focused on "green" initiatives in the community and utilizing social media to promote advanced vehicles and teach the public about changes in the auto industry. The team has partnered with environmental groups on campus and facilitates events at Penn State campuses across the state.
Other members of the communications team are: Andie Ashbaugh, a public relations major from Yorba Linda, Calif.; Ari Gianakopolous, an integrative arts major from Columbus, Ohio; Cheyenne Sexton, a public relations major from Elizabethtown, Pa.; Becky Szwak, a public relations major from Mount Olive, N.J.; Maria Turconi, a public relations major from Gibsonia, Pa.; and Lotus Zhou, a marketing major from Shanghai, China.
The overall Penn State team functions as a company with mechanical engineering, marketing and public relations students all working toward a common goal. Kidd says that the teamwork provides important hands-on experience. "It's taught me how to interact with people on a professional level and truly gain their respect," Kidd said. "That's something you simply can't learn in a classroom."
Updates about Penn State's involvement in the competition may be found on Facebook and Twitter, with sites maintained to focus on the effort.


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Tim Lloyd
Tim Lloyd grew up north of Kansas City and holds a master's degree in journalism from the University of Missouri, Columbia. Since joining St. Louis Public Radio in 2012, he has won eight Edward R Murrow Awards in categories that include Writing, Hard News, Continuing Coverage, Use of Sound and Sports Reporting. In 2015 he won the Education Writers Association's national award for best beat reporter, broadcast. In 2010 he received the national Debakey Journalism Award and in 2009 he won a Missouri Press Association award for Best News Feature. Previously, he launched digital reporting efforts for Harvest Public Media, a Corporation for Public Broadcasting funded collaboration between Midwestern NPR member stations that focuses on agriculture and food issues. His stories have aired on a variety of stations and shows including Morning Edition, All Things Considered, Marketplace, Only A Game and Here and Now.


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Matthew Boyle
January 18, 2013
Attorney General Eric Holder and his Department of Justice have asked a federal court to indefinitely delay a lawsuit brought by watchdog group Judicial Watch. The lawsuit seeks the enforcement of open records requests relating to Operation Fast and Furious, as required by law.
Judicial Watch had filed, on June 22, 2012, a Freedom of Information Act (FOIA) request seeking all documents relating to Operation Fast and Furious and "specifically [a]ll records subject to the claim of executive privilege invoked by President Barack Obama on or about June 20, 2012."
[…] Judicial Watch President Tom Fitton said that Holder's and Obama's desire to continually hide these Fast and Furious documents is "ironic" now that they're so gung-ho on gun control. "It is beyond ironic that the Obama administration has initiated an anti-gun violence push as it seeking to keep secret key documents about its very own Fast and Furious gun walking scandal," Fitton said in a statement. "Getting beyond the Obama administration's smokescreen, this lawsuit is about a very simple principle: the public's right to know the full truth about an egregious political scandal that led to the death of at least one American and countless others in Mexico. The American people are sick and tired of the Obama administration trying to rewrite FOIA law to protect this president and his appointees. Americans want answers about Fast and Furious killings and lies."
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CASPER, Wyom. — Northeastern Junior College's Rode team started competition yesterday at the Collegiate National Finals Rodeo in Casper, Wyo.
Hayden Segelke finished fifth in the first go on Monday with a score of 14.36. She also ran early today in the second go, finishing second with a 13.99 score. Segelke is also in a three-way tie for first in the goat tying with with a score of 6.2 after the first go.
David Hinman tied for first in the steer wrestling in the first go, with a 4.0 score.
Coralee Spratt was 16th in the second go of the breakaway roping this morning with a score of 12.5 after finishing with a no score Monday. Paxton Segelke had a no score in the first two days.
Look for more the rest of this week in the Journal-Advocate.
Contact Journal-Advocate sports writer Jonathan Seib at 970-526-9285 or firstname.lastname@example.com


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Obama's Plan for Averting the Fiscal Cliff
He could pull it off with higher taxes on businesses and the wealthy.
President Obama is making political hay with his vow to allow tax cuts for the wealthiest to expire as he jockeys for post position right out of the starting gate of fiscal-cliff budget talks with the GOP leadership.
Ideally, Obama is looking for about $4 trillion in deficit reduction over a decade through a combination of deep spending cuts and a hefty revenue stream that he says should include a long-shot hike in the top tax rate from 35% to 39.6%. That's where the rate was before President George W. Bush slashed it a decade ago.
To achieve his aim, Obama must pony up himself, agreeing to give House Speaker John Boehner (R-OH) significant entitlement reforms, including adjustments to Social Security, Medicare and Medicaid.
The bartering isn't likely to be fully resolved during the lame-duck session of Congress set to stretch into mid- to late December. So the grand deal on fiscal-cliff issues won't occur until next year. It'll be another punt, but not a permanent failure.
At stake is the state of the American economy: Economists warn that if the fiscal cliff is not avoided, the U.S. will sink back into recession next year, unemployment will rise and the financial markets will tumble.
Take a look at the biggest issues that make up the cliff:
-- A series of tax cuts and deductions worth $395 billion next year that have expired or are set to expire, including the Bush-era tax cuts and the reduction in the Social Security payroll tax.
-- The so-called sequester, with $65 billion in automatic spending cuts next year that will be triggered if action is not taken by the end of this year. The cuts would amount to $1.2 trillion over 10 years.
-- Raising the debt limit above the congressionally approved $16.39-trillion limit.
-- Extending emergency unemployment benefits, which could cost as much as $34 billion next year.
A temporary agreement is expected to come before the end of the year, with pledges to placate the markets and credit-rating agencies to avoid plunging over the cliff. It will include revival of a series of tax breaks that expired after 2011, chiefly a fix for the alternative minimum tax.
There are likely to be short-term extensions of all expiring tax cuts, buying time for a longer-term deal sometime in 2013, with a pledge to retroactively address the estate tax to restore favorable rates scheduled to end December 31.
Obama and Boehner also will have to sidestep the sequester deadline set for New Year's Eve, which triggers huge automatic defense cuts and automatic spending reductions. They'll agree to defer that action for at least a few months and perhaps up to a year, along with promising to raise the debt ceiling.
Then comes the hard part: closing the deal next year. It will happen as rancor yields to reason. When the alternative is another recession, Democrats and Republicans will find ways to compromise.
One way or another, businesses and the wealthy will pay more taxes. But despite his line in the sand, Obama might back down on higher tax rates for big earners. His victory gives him enough political capital to back the GOP into a corner with a threat of letting tax cuts for everyone expire, rather than just for high earners. But that might not sit well with lawmakers who have to run for reelection in 2014.
If he bends, he'll want a lot in return, like an infrastructure bill and jobs package, along with a new extension of jobless benefits. Combined, these measures could cost hundreds of billions of dollars. In essence, it's another stimulus package, though the White House will try mightily not to call it that.
Obama will also work for immigration reform early next year, and he's likely to get it. Republicans, fresh off Mitt Romney's narrow losses in Colorado, Nevada and other battleground states where Hispanics voters turned out at historic levels, are wary of burning any more bridges with minorities, so they're likely to go along.
There are more than 50.5 million Hispanics in the U.S., a 43% increase since 2000. That trend will remain in place, putting states such as Arizona and eventually Texas in play for Democrats. The president will think big: eliminating red tape for legal immigration, a path to citizenship for many illegal aliens, an expanded guest worker program, and swift citizenship for aliens who serve in the U.S. armed forces.
His position on immigration issues is far stronger than the Republicans'. He'll either burnish his relationship with Hispanics by delivering on immigration reform or, if he fails, he'll surely remind the fastest-growing voting group that it was the Republicans who again blocked his try.
There is also room for bipartisan trade deals with Pacific Rim countries and the European Union.
There will be setbacks, of course, especially in the GOP-controlled House. Obama doesn't have a mandate, but Mitt Romney's defeat and the GOP's failure to win a Senate majority will spur Boehner to engage in an ambitious bit of horse trading.
Boehner will have to corral his feisty tea party caucus, but it will happen this time. Unlike the failed grand bargain of 2011, this rodeo will be driven by the carrot, not the stick.
With reporting by Senior Political Editor David Morris and Senior Associate Editor Richard Sammon.