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What a sweet earrings are these! What will your little girl shine at the sight of these earrings in the pink box. Through-and-through real silver, forever beautiful.
♥ Made of (.925) sterling silver, so nice for children.
♥ Luxury wrapped in a jewelry box, ready to give as a present!
♥ The earrings are approximately 11mm x 7mm.
♥ With a jeweler quality E-coating. Not only does this ensure a warm silver color, it also protects the children's earrings against wear and discoloration. This way your little girl will enjoy her earrings for a long time without having to brush them.
♥ By donation KAYA donates an amount so that a child in Gambia can go to school for one week (CSR recognized).

subset: commoncrawl


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[Not a valid template]INFO: Iceland is a European island country in the North Atlantic Ocean on the Mid-Atlantic Ridge. It has a population of about 320,000 and a total area of 103,000 km2 (39,769 sq mi). The capital and largest city is Reykjavík, with the surrounding areas in the southwestern region of the country being home to some two-thirds of the national population. Iceland is volcanically and geologically active. The interior mainly consists of a plateau characterized by sand fields, mountains and glaciers, while many glacial rivers flow to the sea through the lowlands. Iceland is warmed by the Gulf Stream and has a temperate climate despite a high latitude just outside the Arctic Circle.
YEAR: April 14-17 – 2011
[Not a valid template]STORY: The Iceland trip was planed together with my 3 colleges from the work. One of them work as a professional photographer and the rest of the group where interested in photography and work with prepress. I have been on the Iceland before and this was my third visit. We booked a rental car and all places of interests was planned and saved in my GPS before the trip.
Flight time from Stockholm to Reykjavík was around 3 hours and the weather was nice. We arrived in late afternoon, picked our car (4WD Jeep) and packed our equipment. Soon after it was a time for our first adventure, Blue Lagoon.
Blue Lagoon is geothermal spa and one of the most visited attractions in Iceland. The steamy waters are part of a lava formation with averages temperature 37–39 °C (98–102 °F). The lagoon is fed by the water output of the nearby geothermal power plant Svartsengi and is renewed every 2 days. Superheated water is vented from the ground near a lava flow and used to run turbines that generate electricity. After going through the turbines, the steam and hot water passes through a heat exchanger to provide heat for a municipal hot water heating system.
It was a really funny experience to be there and as a bonus we got changeable weather. First we got sun then blizzard and snow and in the end came rain in less than 30 minutes. Besides the cold and changeable weather our whole experience with this place was really good. So if you are visiting Iceland then I can recommend this place for you. Later we went to our hotel to check in and took a short trip to the Reykjavík's downtown to find something to eat.
Day 2
[Not a valid template]We took an early breakfast and had a short briefing about the days plan. After that we packed our equipment in the car and I chose our first point in the GPS, lake Kerid. After Kerid we had a plan to take the geyser area with the well known Storkkur geyser with a lunch pause and then later continue to the waterfall Gullfoss and end our day trip with the historical site Thingvellir. It was a nice plan and the only thing which we couldn't plan was the weather condition.
On the way to the Kerid we had to pass lot of interesting places on which we made short stops to photograph. Lake Kerid is a volcanic crater lake located in the Grímsnes area in south Iceland and one of several crater lakes in the area. We had luck to get some sunshine and decided to make a quick walk around the lake. The whole area was covered with snow and we missed to see the red volcanic rock around the lake. The lake wasn't frozen and the water was dark green with small waves made by strong wind. From the top of the hill we had a beautiful view of the whole area.
[Not a valid template]Storkkur geyser is one of Iceland's most famous ones and was next on our list to visit. Strokkur is part of a geothermally active site, with various mud pools, algal deposits, and other geysers. Erupting time is about every 5 to 10 minutes with variations of size of eruption. It was always plenty with people around the geyser even if it was cold weather with snow. We succeeded to take many good shots and then moved to the restaurant area to buy something to eat. It was a strong and cold wind the whole day and we needed some rest as well.
[Not a valid template]On the way to Gullfoss weather changed to really bad with strong and cold winds mixed with snow creating really bad visibility. I remember from previous visits that even if weather was good that close to the waterfall it was always some wind mixed with water steam and drops. Considering that we hadn't proper cloth and that we had our equipment exposed to this kind of weather created some problems. It was possible to take some shots from long distance but when we went closer then we would get wet. I decided to go back to the car park and the rest of the group decided to take a walk around anyway. After some time we decided to leave this area an see if the weather was better in the Thingvellir area.
After 45 minutes we found out that the weather will not change but we decided to continue our trip anyway. Driving thru the Iceland's landscape was really interesting and we made a few short stops. Thingvellir is a site of historical, cultural, and geological importance and is one of the most popular tourist destinations in Iceland. It is the site of a rift valley that marks the crest of the Mid-Atlantic Ridge. It is also home to Tingvallavatn, the largest natural lake in Iceland. Bad weather made our last visit a short one and later we decided to drive back to Reykjavík.
Day 3
[Not a valid template]We took an early and short breakfast to save some time for our long drive day. We had a plan to visit few waterfalls and some paces located on the south coast line. The weather wasn't good in Reykjavík's area and we were little bit worried that we are going to have this kind of weather in the whole day. After one hour drive when we left the highlands and were close to the coast line the weather started to be better.
Our firs target where Seljalandsfoss Waterfall situated in between Selfoss and Skógafoss at the road crossing of Route 1 or the Ring Road. Considering that we were on the Iceland almost in the end of April few weeks before tourist season than we had a luck to skip plenty with tourists. I knew that it was possible to go behind the waterfall and after few shots from the frontal side we decided to get wet and went behind. I was the only one with my heavy Hasselblad and tripod and wasn't so quick to walk and climb as my colleges with their 35mm cameras. I was really wet and my equipment as well but I succeeded to made few shots of this magnificent place. It was more small waterfalls few hundred meters on the left side and we took a shot visit. It was really cloudy and 15 minutes later it start to rain. We where already wet and didn't had so much time than we decided to leave the place and continue our trip south east.
[Not a valid template]Skogarfoss was our next waterfall located at the cliffs of the former coastline. The weather wasn't good, cloudy and windy but still possible to photograph. We knew that it was the question when it would start to rain so we were little bit in a hurry. Just 15 minutes later it started to rain with hard and strong winds making impossible to be outside the car and photograph. At the eastern side of the waterfall was a hiking and trekking trail which we had a plan to climb but the weather was so bad so we had to cancel our visit and continue to the next place.
Our next place was the small peninsula, or promontory, Dyrhólaey. It was formerly an island of volcanic origin, which is also known by the Icelandic word eyja meaning island. The view from up there was really good and interesting. At the north side was the big glacier Mýrdalsjökull, at the east side was the black lava columns of the Reynisdrangar come out of the sea, and to the west the whole coastline in the direction of Selfoss. In front of the peninsula, there was a gigantic black arch of lava standing in the sea, which gave the peninsula its name. We spent rest of the day in this area photographing the landscape and birds. The weather was much colder in the end of day. Strong winds and rain made our trip little bit shorter and we decided to went back to our hotel.
Day 4
[Not a valid template]We had a flight in the afternoon and after we packed our belongings we left the hotel. Weather was good enough for our last photographic adventure. We decided to drive to the south part of the island in the direction of the town called Grindavik. We made quick stop on the way to take few shots and after approximately 40 min we entered the town area. We parked our car in the harbor area and took the walk around. Town was almost empty and we decided to continue our trip by driving the coast road. We where at least one or two months before the official tourist season and that was the reason of not seeing anyone on the streets. Local people hadn't any reason to walk around in the cold and windy weather. We found southern peninsula very interesting with few interesting places. We spent our last hour in the Reykjanes lighthouse area and made plenty of wonderful photos.
I hope you liked my short story from the Iceland and get some inspiration for your own trip…
• Camera: Hasselblad H1 & P30+
• Lens: HC 35mm F/3.5, HC 80mm F/2,8
• Camera: Canon EOS 5D Mark II
• Lens: Canon EF 16-35mm F/2.8 L USM Mark II and Sigma 70-200 F/2.8 DG HSM OS
You can see more photos from the Iceland in my photo section:


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The good folks over at Beautiful/Decay are about to relaunch their publication with a bunch of exciting changes! They are doing away with all traditional advertising as well as increasing the size of each issue by 50%, meaning the new B/D will be 164 pages of pure inspiration! I'm not sure how they can afford to do this, it almost sounds too good to be true. However, limited runs released three times per year means you might wanna get a subscription.
Beautiful/Decay has supported Booooooom since day one and I'd like nothing more than to see them make a successful transition. Good luck guys!


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The WHL trade deadline has come and gone and the Vancouver Giants were reasonably active, dealing away a couple of players, and adding 19-year old import forward Dominik Volek from the Red Deer Rebels. Read past the jump for a look at Vancouver's deadline day and what it means for the Giants going forward.
After dealing defenseman Blake Orban to the Edmonton Oil Kings for a second round pick, GM Scott Bonner continued to accumulate draft picks by trading the rights to overage import F Marek Tvrdon to the Kelowna Rockets for a 2nd round pick. Tvrdon has yet to join the Rockets and had spent the majority of this season with the ECHL's Toledo Walleye, registering 8 goals and 3 assists in 19 games. He was Vancouver's 2nd leading scorer in his 18-year old season, picking up 74 points in 60 games, but was limited to just 18 games of action last year due to injuries. Now that he's been dealt out of Vancouver, he'll be returned to the WHL to help the Rockets on their playoff run.
Scott Bonner also traded F Anthony Ast to the Medicine Hat Tigers for a 3rd round pick in 2016. Ast never found a consistent spot in the Giants lineup and battled constant injuries, before requesting a trade. The former 19th overall pick probably underperformed during his time with the Giants, as some of the players taken after him in the 2010 bantam draft included Greg Chase, Madison Bowey, Cole Ully, Tristan Jarry, Tyson Baillie, Jaedon Desheneau, Shea Theodore and Chase Witala. Regardless, Ast had just 8 points in 25 games which was 18th on the Giants in scoring, so getting assets in exchange for a player who had fallen into disuse is a shrewd move.
Vancouver spent some of these acuumulated picks to acquire 19-year old Czech forward Dominik Volek from the Red Deer Rebels. Despite having a year of WHL eligibility left, this is probably a straight rental for Vancouver, as Volek has stated that he'd like to play pro hockey next year, whether it's in the AHL or back in Europe. Volek is a definite major upgrade on Ast in Vancouver's top-6 as he had 15 goals and 9 assists in his 34 games with the offensively challenged Rebels, and has already added 2 goals and 1 assist in his first two appearances with the Giants. Red Deer will recieve a 4th round pick next year and a 3rd round pick in 2016 from Vancouver.
Also in a minor move, the Prince George Cougars acquired the rights to 19-year old G Adam Beukeboom from Vancouver in exchange for a 7th round pick in 2016, making the Giants deadline moves look like this:
In isolation, that's a pretty good deadline. Scott Bonner moved one significant piece out (Blake Orban) that can probably be replaced by committee, brought in an upgrade in the top-6 forwards, and acquired some early-round draft picks for relatively little. Marek Tvrdon is definitely the best player in that group, but he was not going to be returned to the WHL unless Vancouver traded him, so the 2nd round pick from Kelowna is essentially found money.
But in the big picture, I don't think the Giants did enough. I had a discussion with Steve Ewen, and he explained some of the Giants' reasoning to me:
@Thats_Offside Why would u move the 20s? The goal, to me, is to try to win a round, get Baer, Ronning, Benson, etc. playoff experience…
— Steve Ewen (@SteveEwen) January 10, 2014
@Thats_Offside Need this group to get some playoff experience. Need to placate fans, too, after last year. Team better than it was last week
— Steve Ewen (@SteveEwen) January 10, 2014
I don't disagree with Steve on the last point, but it's widely known that the Giants are building towards a 2016 Memorial Cup bid, and the core of this roster isn't a collection of talented 16, 17 and 18 year olds. The key players on this Giants team, like Dalton Thrower, Cain Franson, Brett Kulak, Tim Traber, Joel Hamilton, and now Dominik Volek are all 19 or older. Thrower, Franson, Traber and Volek all will not be returning, and Kulak will only spend another year in junior should he not make the Abbotsford Heat next season.
This collection of players may be good enough to make a push for the WHL title this year, but not with the goaltending they have, and they probably aren't quite deep enough to beat out a Portland or Kelowna. With this, along with a set target year in which you want to compete in mind, why not give yourself the absolute best chance to win the Memorial Cup in the season you plan on competing for it? Playoff experience is fine, but it's ultimately meaningless if you're not good enough.
The goal should always be to win the Memorial Cup. As Billy Beane so elegantly puts it, "we're either all-in or we're all-out." If 40 more games of Dalton Thrower and Cain Franson only get you to lose a week later, what's the point of having them when you could have assets that better fit where you want to be down the road? Over the summer, Thrower cost Vancouver a 2nd round pick in 2014, but not acquiring more support cost a chance at winning this year, and not trading him cost the Giants the opportunity to acquire assets down the road. Unless you truly believe that 4 to 10 extra games of experience for three guys is worth more than a potential future core player to compliment those same guys, either of these costs outweigh the benefits of keeping Thrower, Franson, et al.
And with that in mind, let's look at this week's WHL fancystats, courtesy of Josh Weissbock:
Look for Everett and Vancouver to make gains in the standings in the 2nd half of the season, while Victoria and Calgary should cool off, despite significant trade deadline acquisitions (like Travis Brown, Connor Rankin and Adam Tambellini). Kelowna and Portland have also bolstered their squads with returning pros (Tvrdon and Mat Dumba), but the Edmonton Oil Kings are still the cream of the crop by my estimation. Good goaltending and exceptional puck possession makes them extremely difficult to score on, while Henrik Samuelsson and Curtis Lazar lead a potent offense.
The Giants picked up 3 of 4 points this weekend, beating Prince George 6-4, and losing to Portland 5-4 in a shootout. Kulak and Thrower each had a goal and two assists over the weekend, while Volek scored twice and added an assist of his own.
Around the B.C. Division
Kamloops Blazers: Acquired G Justin Myles, D Austin Douglas, and a 4th round pick from Seattle in exchange for G Taran Kozun…Acquired F Matt Bellerive and a 3rd round pick from Red Deer in exchange for F Aspen Sterzer…Acquired F Matt Revel, a 3rd round pick, and a conditional 2nd round pick from Saskatoon in exchange for D Jordan Thompson, F Mitch Lipon, and a 1st round pick…Head coach Dave Hunchak has taken a "leave of absence" and will be replaced by Guy Charron, who returns after stepping down last year.
Kelowna Rockets: Acquired F Marc McCoy from Regina in exchange for a 5th round pick…F Marek Tvrdon will reportedly join the Rockets next weekend.
Prince George Cougars: Acquired the rights to G Adam Beukeboom from Vancouver in exchange for a 7th round pick.
Other WHL News and Notes:
- Portland acquired Corbin Boes from Lethbridge in exchange for Steven Alldridge, the rights to Shane McColgan, and a 2nd round pick.
- Seattle acquired Russell Maxwell from Lethbridge in exchange for Michal Holub, Seth Swenson, and a 4th round pick.
- Calgary acquired Michael Zipp from Everett in exchange for Zane Jones.
- Calgary acquired Connor Rankin from Tri-City in exchange for Josh Thrower.
- Lethbridge acquired Jarrod Schamerhorn from Portland in exchange for a 7th round pick.
- Regina acquired Logan McVeigh and Daniel Wapple from Medicine Hat in exchange for Nick Schneider and a 3rd round pick.
- Spokane acquired Marcus Messier from Tri-City in exchange for Jackson Playfair.
- Saskatoon acquired Ty Mappin from Everett in exchange for a conditional 7th round pick.
- Swift Current acquired Geordie Maguire from Regina in exchange for a 6th round pick.
- Calgary acquired Adam Tambellini from Portland in exchange for a 1st round pick and a conditional 4th round pick.
- Everett's Brayden Low and Tri-City's Matthew Gelinas both served two-game suspensions for checks to the head.
- The Top Prospects game takes place this Wednesday at 6:00 PM PST on Sportsnet. Rosters can be seen here.


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by HUGH GILMORE
I've never quite figured out why, but I spent much of last year obsessed with Georges Bizet's opera "Carmen." I read the original novel by Prosper Mérrimée (1845), Bizet's adaptation of it (1875), and then viewed about two-dozen complete recorded performances.
Still hungering, I scoured YouTube for every clip I could find. Every night, from January 1 to mid-July, I watched at least one act of the opera (joined, luckily, by my wife, Janet, Gilmore – otherwise I would have driven her crazy with "the same music" night after night).
About halfway through this mania last year we wrote separate articles for the Local about the experience. Mine was titled "What being with Carmen nine times has taught me" (April 14, 2010, in the Local's archives, or e-mail me for a copy).
One fascinating reaction I received came from a local reader who is a world-level expert on "Carmen." This gracious and erudite lady, who chooses to remain anonymous, (we'll call her "Célestine," after the actress who first played Carmen) specializes in "the changing image of Carmen over time." And Madame Célestine also collects Carmen imagery – playbills, postcards, and cabinet photographs, for example, and recorded performances. Would we like to see her collection?
Would we? Oh, my. As soon as we could, we spent a wonderful evening, first having dinner, and then spending hours looking through the albums she's built over the years. What a thrill that was, and what an education I received.
I shall return to Madame C in a moment, but must now describe another endeavor that grew out of my "Carmen" interest last year. An idea came to me one evening.
Some background in case your memory needs refreshing: Two characters dominate this French opera that is set in Spain. Don José is a naive country boy who loves his mother and is betrothed to a sweet girl from back home. He has joined the army and is stationed in Seville. La de da.
He meets the cigar factory worker, Carmen, when she teasingly throws a flower at him, hence offering him a chance to experience what men call the Gypsy's Curse (to obsessively love, crave, desire, need a woman because she's made you experience the greatest man/woman thrills you've ever known, or could hope to know – combined with the feeling [sort of like the way heroin or opium are described] that you'll never feel this way again if she leaves you … thus leaving you torn between feeling like you're either the earth's greatest stud or the world's most helpless child-about-to-be-abandoned-by-mommy – the source of nearly all domestic violence).
The other major point of view in this opera belongs to Carmen. Carmen is a walking, talking, singing, dancing libido. She is also beautiful, which makes the fact that she is almost immaculately selfish all the more frightening. And admirable. Her innate honesty will not allow her to lie. Her need for independence will not allow her to back down to threats of any kind.
She wants Don José. He falls for her. He has her for a brief while. Conflicts arise. He has thrown over everything in his life for her. She meets Escamillo, a famous matador, when he stops by the local tavern and sings "The Toreador Song." She falls for him, he for her. She stops loving Don José. José stalks her. She remains defiant. He kills her, and sings the opera's last words, "Ah! Carmen! ma Carmen adorée!"
During the scenes where Don José fights to hold on to her, he argues, he demands, he threatens, he pleads, and he sings some of the most beautiful, heart-rending songs ever heard by the human ear.
"Carmen" fans sit almost breathlessly waiting, hoping, all through the performance, for the moment when Don José will sing the flower song, when he tells Carmen of how he sat in jail, having sacrificed himself so she could escape imprisonment, looking at the flower she'd thrown at him, cherishing it more every day. How deeply he loves her.
In the end, those two points of view, that of the downhearted ruined country boy and that of the admirably honest, enchanting gypsy woman, dominate the opera. Everyone else, even those who get several solos (Escamillo the toreador, and Michaela, the sweet 'n' pure girl from back home), is secondary to these two great characters.
But … but – what if – I thought one night last June, what if Don José is not tragic. What if he's a nut? What if he's a typically abusive perpetrator of domestic violence? Like one of those stalkers who waits in the parking lot, a gun beside him, for his girl friend, or ex-wife, to get out of work so he can shoot her? Another case of "If I can't have you, no one can."
And what if Escamillo really loved Carmen? What if she was not just another woman to him. What if, for the first time in his life, after so many conquests (conquests? Hah! The other women threw themselves at him), he'd found the one woman who put his soul to rest?
And what if, just as true love came into his life, a tragic twist emerged to ruin his dream: A deranged ex-lover murdered the love of his life. Would that not be sad? Would it not be moving – to see him again in late middle age, still trying to deal with the memories, trying not to be bitter, trying to retain whatever good had come to him from knowing her?
I decided to write a novel from Escamillo's point of view. It brewed and stewed within me all through the summer and fall. I decided to pretend that Carmen and Don José and Escamillo and Michaela and all the others had been real people and had received lots of tabloid coverage back in the 1870s. And that Georges Bizet had read those newspaper stories and had written his 1875 opera about them. And that, after avoiding the opera for a while, Escamillo, now retired from the bullring, finally goes to see a production. I became very excited, and curious, to know what his reaction would be.
I started writing this novel on Jan. 1 of this year. In two weeks I wrote two chapters, surprised by what was coming out of me.
Then I happened to re-meet Madame Célestine, the Carmen expert, one afternoon while I was out buying dinner wine. We had an interesting conversation.
To be continued …


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A VerySpatial Podcast
Shownotes – Episode 77
January 7, 2007
Main Topic: What would you cover in an intro class
Click to directly download MP3
Click to directly download AAC
Click for the detailed shownotes
This weeks podsafe music:
"Safety in Numbers" by The Saving Graces
Web Corner
Main topic
- CES 2007, Jan 8-11, Las Vegas, NV
- MacWorld Expo, Jan 8-12, San Francisco, CA
- ESRI Fed User Conference, 9-11 Jan, Washington, DC
- NERCOMP Virtual Globes: GIS 2.0, January 19th, Southbridge, MA
This week A Very Spatial Podcast is sponsored by ESRI.
MicroStrategy World 2007 conference is in Las Vegas, January 22nd to the 25th. Visit the ESRI booth for the latest GIS tools for business . To learn more visit: www.esri.com/veryspatial


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Looks like the FREESCO Frappr map is going out of bussiness:
Starting January 1, 2010, Frappr's "Classic" Guest Map will finally go into retirement. What are your options?
Paid Version
For a mere $24.99 we will keep your Classic Guest Map up and running for one full year, through Dec 31, 2010. Simply go to the page of the map you want to save, and click the PayPal button, no PayPal account necessary.
Backup in KML
We just released a map export tool that allows you to export all your friends and photos in a convenient KML file. You will also find the export links on the map's frappr.com page.
I'm not prepared to pay $24,99 to keep the map up and running and exporting to KML seems pointless.
Oh well, it was nice as long as it lasted.


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TGI Fry-Day: Buffalo Style Tofu 'Wings' at Ground Control
Reviews of fried food in Chicago.
Whenever a dish requires quotation marks, you can safely assume it's probably not that thing. Sure, it may share a similar flavor profile and look, but it usually differs in some monumental way. That's definitely the case the Buffalo style tofu "wings" ($6.75) at Ground Control, which trade chicken wings for rectangular slabs of tofu that have been battered, fried, and tossed in Buffalo sauce.
But while the dish may lack a real connection to its source material, it's also worth noting that crispy fried tofu isn't such a bad thing. That's especially true when tossed in that familiar buttery and slightly spicy sauce we all know and love (well, I love it). Obviously, it's missing out on the meatiness of a properly fried chicken wing (find some of our favorite examples here), but if you're visiting the completely meatless eatery in Logan Square, you're probably okay with that. Also, whereas chicken wings require you to pull up sleeves and get messy, these can be sliced into bite-sized pieces, ideal for dunking into the blue cheese ranch sauce.
Ground Control
3315 West Armitage Avenue, Chicago, IL 60647 (map)
All products linked here have been independently selected by our editors. We may earn a commission on purchases, as described in our affiliate policy.


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June 6th, 2010 | by Neil Published in Reverse Mortgage Daily
Against the backdrop of a recent New York Times story about borrowers in the forward mortgage world electing to stop paying their debt – and living sometimes for years cost-free – concerns in the reverse world about prolonged defaults is drawing more attention, and some official government action.
To wit: Fannie Mae (NYSE:FNM) reportedly has been reminding reverse servicers they must follow HUD guidelines regarding tax and insurance defaults for HECM customers. In the past, Fannie has elected not to have servicers follow these established guidelines – that is, beginning foreclosure when taxes, insurance or maintenance are not current – because of so-called "headline risk."
Now, however, servicers have been instructed to submit troubled loans to HUD to get approval to start the foreclosure process. Once approved, a demand letter is sent to the borrower(s) who has six months to cure the default. After that, the servicer must start the foreclosure process – one exception is when a borrower refuses to take necessary curative action, at which time the foreclosure process begins immediately.
"Tax and insurance defaults have gone up dramatically in the last few years," says one servicer, who believes reactive changes now "would turn us into collection agencies."
At the moment, the industry is waiting for HUD to issue a promised Mortgagee Letter regarding tax and insurance (T&I) defaults. An agency spokesman told RMD: "FHA is working closely with Fannie Mae and servicers of reverse mortgages to develop a plan to notify seniors of the delinquency and provide the necessary support and outreach to these seniors to find solutions to bring delinquent taxes and insurance current."
Considering low default balances
According to Ryan LaRose, chief operating officer of Celink – a reverse mortgage servicer – an industry committee "presented HUD with a white paper awhile back that included industry recommendations for how to deal with the existing T&I default population. It included an analysis of the loan's LTV [loan-to-value] and took into consideration those borrowers with a low default balance and put them into a 'monitoring' program," according to LaRose, who is a member of that committee.
"If FHA is smart," says another servicer, "they will approve foreclosing on high claim amounts because [if they don't] the situation will come back to haunt us," he warns, adding: "Fannie wants more loans assigned to HUD." What's missing in all this, he says, "is that the industry has no real loss mit program for seniors."
In the aggregate, T&I defaults are relatively small. HUD's Erica Jessup puts the current number at less than 2 percent of all reverse mortgages extant. Cheryl MacNally, national sales manager, senior products group, Wells Fargo Home Mortgage, puts a finer point on those numbers: "If we have someone in T&I default for only $500, we don't want to foreclose [especially] if they have a 700 FICO score – we don't torture them" with foreclosure threats. However, MacNally predicted that as more full draws are taken on reverse mortgage balances, "T&I defaults will increase."
As to the aforementioned headline risk, John LaRose, CEO of Celink, expresses concern "over the possibility of thousands of senior homeowners being placed into foreclosure by the end of the year. The timing could not be worse," he declared, because "those who have a proclivity for making negative comments about our industry could be energized to be even more aggressive in their attacks on us," said LaRose.
Written by Neil Morse
Filed under: fannie mae, FHA, foreclosure, foreclosures, reverse mortgage | Tagged: celink, delinquencies, dinsfla, fannie mae, FHA, foreclosure, hecm, HUD, reverse mortgage |


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Little Haven is a small cove into which the roads from three directions drop steeply to the water's edge.
Tucked under the cliffs, its main street passing through the valley parallel with the little stream which runs out over the beach into St Brides Bay, the village is reminiscent of the quaint coves of Cornwall and Devon, the road from nearby Broad Haven snaking in round a savage hairpin bend.
Little Haven, like many other places around St Brides Bay, was once involved in the mining of coal and near Musselwick to the west of the village there are two places where coal seams can be seen high up in the cliff face, with signs of collapsed 16th - 18th century mines nearby. There are also the remains of an Iron Age fort on the cliff. Little Haven is a busy little boating beach with a long slipway for launching yachts and fishing boats and the sands, when the tide is low, are popular with small children who can safely paddle or explore the rock pools. In summer many locals go out fishing for mackerel, which come into the bay in large shoals, and some unusual visitors have been recorded in recent years, including a massive sun fish which leaped into a local man's rowing boat. The short climb to The Point affords a splendid view across St Brides Bay and the village has a couple of good pubs, shops, an art gallery, and a village hall which hosts an annual art exhibition.
Little Haven hit the international headlines in the 1970s when strange and inexplicable happenings occurred, local school children at Broad Haven reporting a cigar-shaped yellow craft in a field near the school. The headmaster asked the children to draw pictures of what they saw and was surprised by the similarity of the detail in their sketches. A fortnight later teachers and dinner ladies reported seeing the same strange yellow craft, also spotting a weird humanoid creature going into it.
Further strange sightings were recorded elsewhere in the district and the area was dubbed "The Broad Haven Triangle," by the Press. Two creatures clad in silver space suits were spotted shortly afterwards by a couple farming at St Brides and more sightings of strange UFOs were logged in the vicinity of Little Haven and Broad Haven before the mysterious happenings suddenly ended. Two books were written about it and a retired Vet living just along the coast at Roch, who had an interest in such things, started investigating the phenomena. But he suddenly stopped delving, giving the explanation that certain things he had discovered had alarmed him and that he felt threatened by whole business. It ended his interest in the occult and the UFO scenario and he refused to be drawn on the subject until he died.


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Ecumenical Patriarch Bartholomeos I, a spiritual leader who represents Eastern Orthodox Christianity, has called for the creation of a churches' umbrella body in Europe to include Roman Catholics alongside Anglicans, Orthodox and Protestants.
"It is only by engaging in dialogue and by closely cooperating that the churches will prove capable of proclaiming the Gospel of Christ to the world in a convincing and effective way," the Orthodox leader said in a 19 July 2009 address in Lyon, France to mark the 50th anniversary of the founding of the Conference of European Churches.
CEC now has about 120 member churches, principally Anglican, Orthodox and Protestant, but Bartholomeos said that Europe needs a grouping that includes the Catholic Church.
This would help to promote unity between churches and enable them to act jointly on issues in Europe such as secularisation, human rights violations, racism, the economic crisis and threats to the environment.
"I am convinced that a conference of all the European churches, and I underline, all the European churches, working in harmony will be able to respond better to the sacred command to re-establish communion between the churches and to serve our contemporaries confronted as they are with so many complex problems," said Bartholomeos to applause.
"It will then be possible to promote more effectively the dialogue of the churches of Europe with the European institutions and the European Union," said the Patriarch, who is based in Istanbul, formerly Constantinople and one-time capital of the Byzantine Empire.
The Orthodox leader asked Cardinal Philippe Barbarin of Lyon, who was present in the audience, to transmit the proposal to "where it needs to go", in an apparent reference to the Vatican.
Bartholomeos warned that the failure of churches in Europe to match their statements about unity with specific actions calls into question their credibility.
"Procrastination cannot be justified," he said. "The future of the new Europe that is under construction is sombre and indeed, uncertain, being built as it is without Christian spiritual values which touch on everything concerning the support and protection of human beings and their dignity."
The 50th anniversary celebrations for CEC came during the church grouping's once-every-six-years assembly being held from 15-21 July in Lyon. This has gathered 300 delegates from CEC member churches and 500 other participants.
Bartholomeos said there is an obligation to, "re-establish full communion between the Christian churches in Europe". Orthodox Christians and Catholics separated from one another several centuries before the 16th-century Reformation and the rise of Protestantism.
The Patriarch noted efforts made in recent decades to overcome divisions. These include the Charta Oecumenica, a document signed in Strasbourg in 2001 by CEC and the Council of European (Catholic) Bishops' Conferences, and intended to boost inter-church cooperation.
However, many of its proposals have not been implemented by churches and many Christian faithful are unaware of its recommendations, said Bartholomeos.
"The result is that what we have said is not matched by our actions, which damages the credibility of our churches and gives the impression that we are incapable of finding solutions to current problems," the Patriarch stated.
In February 2008, the president of CEC, the Rev. Jean-Arnold de Clermont, proposed the creation of a Council of European Churches that would also include the Catholic Church.
Speaking to journalists at the start of the Lyon assembly, de Clermont, a French Protestant pastor, urged steps to increase collaboration with the Catholic Church as well as with Evangelical groups.
"There is already a structure for cooperation between CEC and the Roman Catholic Church but this is not enough," said de Clermont. "The world of today couldn't care less about our [Christian] disputes. We need to have a common voice of the Christian churches in Europe."
The history of CEC goes back to January 1959, when representatives from 45 Protestant and Orthodox churches in 20 countries in Eastern and Western Europe gathered in Nyborg, Denmark.
During the Cold War, CEC helped bridge the divide between East and West. In recent years, the church grouping has played an active role in representing churches to institutions such as the European Union, the Strasbourg-based Council of Europe and the Organization for Security and Cooperation in Europe.
[With acknowledgements to ENI. Ecumenical News International is jointly sponsored by the World Council of Churches, the Lutheran World Federation, the World Alliance of Reformed Churches and the Conference of European Churches.]


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Adobe expects Q3 Creative Cloud subscriber adds to exceed Q22 min read . Updated: 19 Jun 2013, 09:06 AM IST
Adobe reports a higher-than-expected adjusted second quarter profit and says demand rose for Creative Cloud
Adobe reports a higher-than-expected adjusted second quarter profit and says demand rose for Creative Cloud
Adobe Systems Inc., known for its Photoshop and Acrobat software, reported a higher-than-expected adjusted second-quarter profit and said demand rose for Creative Cloud, the subscription-based version of its flagship software package.
The company said it expects the number of paid subscribers for Creative Cloud in the current quarter to top the 221,000 subscribers who signed up in the second quarter, increasing the total to 700,000. The company added 153,000 subscribers in the first quarter.
Adobe is the latest traditional software company to make a big bet on the cloud-based subscription model pioneered by companies such as Salesforce.com Inc., NetSuite Inc. and Google Inc.
Subscription models bring in less money upfront as payment is spread over the entire period of use unlike traditional packaged software, but typically ensure more predictable recurring revenue.
Shares of Adobe rose 4.4% in after-market trading. They closed at $43.36 on the Nasdaq on Tuesday.
Promotions to drive adoption of Creative Cloud may affect average revenue per user (ARPU) in the short term, but will add to annualised recurring revenue (ARR) in the long term, chief financial officer Mark Garrett said on a conference call with analysts.
"If I can get to a better ARR number with more subscriber numbers at a slightly lower ARPU, I would gladly make that tradeoff because it gets more people on the platform, it gives us more critical mass," he said to Reuters.
Adobe has been shifting to web-based subscription service Creative Cloud from a licensing model since last year.
Customers are responding to the attraction of the Creative Cloud offering and the convenience of subscriptions which are reflected in the results and stock movement, B. Riley & Co. analyst Daniel Cummins said.
Edward Jones technology analyst Josh Olson termed the guidance "pretty impressive".
"They are essentially setting some pretty high standards in terms of what they need to do for Q3 here, to surpass what was an already impressive Q2 in terms of subscription adds," he said.
Adobe forecast current-quarter adjusted earnings of 29 cents to 35 cents per share on revenue of $975 million to $1.03 billion.
Analysts on average are expecting earnings of 35 cents per share on revenue of $1.01 billion, according to Thomson Reuters I/B/E/S.
Adobe said in May that upgrades for Creative Cloud, which includes Photoshop, Illustrator and Flash, would be available only through online subscriptions. The company also said it would not develop upgrades for Creative Suite, the license-based version of Creative Cloud.
Adobe said on Tuesday that net income for the second quarter fell to $76.5 million, or 15 cents per share, from $223.9 million, or 45 cents per share, a year earlier.
Excluding items, earnings were 36 cents per share. Revenue fell 10% to $1.01 billion.
Analysts on average had expected earnings of 33 cents per share on revenue of $1.01 billion.
The company maintained its full-year outlook for adjusted earnings of about $1.45 per share on revenue of about $4.1 billion.
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Mima Xari Champagne Edition
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What mom wouldn't love to receive some sweet chocolate treats on this Mother's Day? How about the mom who knows that these exquisite chocolates are made from cocoa being harvested by children who are forced to work in the cocoa jungle and in some cases sold into slavery? Could a mother who has been informed about the facts of the cocoa industry, a mother who knows that 200,000 children are being forced to work on cocoa farms in west Africa—long days, dangerous work, toxic sprays, gruelling labour—could a mother who knows the facts really enjoy the chocolate these poor children have helped produce?
Be assured unless you've purchased certified FairTrade chocolate for your mother, children have been abused in the production of the cocoa from which that chocolate has been made, whether it's from Ganong Bros or Hershey's. The chocolate industry excels in keeping this information secret, just as the clothing industry has kept secrets, some of which became public in the last couple weeks. After the factory collapse in Bangladesh that killed over 300 people on April 24th, we've become concerned about these clothing factories and the working conditions in them, but have we really become concerned enough to demand change? Loblaw's Joe Fresh is compensating victims' families and has resolved to ensure safer working conditions in Bangladeshi factories in the future. What about the other clothing retailers? Silence. Eighteen months before this tragedy, a fire in a Bangladesh textile factory killed 112 people. Walmart considered ensuring safer factories by doing regular inspections, but concluded that such inspections "could ultimately lead to higher costs for Walmart and higher prices for our customers. This would not be in the best interests of Walmart's shareholders and customers and would place Walmart at a competitive disadvantage" (Financial Post). Unfortunately, it would seem that we would rather let these companies keep their secrets because, after all, we love falling prices at Walmart and chocolate bars that cost less than a dollar.
We need mothers and others to stand up to the chocolate makers and say no more child abuse, unfair and unsafe child labour and child slavery. Surely our moral conscious can't let us ignore the plight of 200,000 children in west Africa. Buying FairTrade chocolate will help, but the whole industry needs to change. FairTrade shouldn't be a label on a select few chocolate bars, it should obviously be the norm, but today in Canada only one regular confectionary chocolate bar is certified FairTrade. Cadbury Dairy Milk is the only FairTrade chocolate bar, and it's only the original Cadbury Dairy Milk bar, none of the specially flavoured ones. Every Kit Kat and Hershey's bar has been produced by children doing things no mother would ever imagine their own children doing. Sobering thoughts for Mother's Day, but it's pretty important that we actually become aware of the truth if anything is going to change.
Notes: For documentation of claims about chocolate made in this blog posting, please read my previous post "The children producing the cocoa never taste the chocolate" which includes a clip for an outstanding video documentary. My regrets that I am not better informed about the clothing and textiles industry. I just saw in the news this week how we become so concerned in the midst of tragedy but so quick to forget when shopping for low prices—so parallel to my findings in cocoa production and chocolate sales.


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|Usable by
|Casting time
|3 sec cast
|10 min (GCD 1.5 sec)
|Level required
|Related buff
|TCG image
The shadows will grant you another life; try not to waste it this time.
- Pidge Filthfinder TCG
Soulstone is a core warlock ability learned at level 18. It creates a [Soulstone] that stores the targeted player's soul (or the warlock), allowing that player to resurrect. If the spell is cast on a dead player, that player is instantly resurrected.
Modified by
- Talents
- A warlock may only soulstone one target at a time.
- The conjured soulstone is soulbound and unique.
- If the stored player dies, they will be offered the opportunity to reincarnate on the spot, or to be released as a ghost in the normal way. Soulstone resurrection may be used in combat.
- Use of a Soulstone is on a 15 min cooldown, and creates a 15 min buff.
Patch changes
- Patch 3.3.0 (08-Dec-2009): The cooldown on this spell and duration of its buff have been lowered from 30 minutes down to 15 minutes. Cannot be used in Arenas.
- Patch 2.1.0 (22-May-2007): Soulstones can no longer be used on targets not in your party or raid. In addition, the soulstone buff will now be removed if the target or caster leaves the party or raid.
- Patch 1.2.0 (18-Dec-2004): Reduced the Soul Shard cost from two shards to one shard.
External links
Community content is available under CC-BY-SA unless otherwise noted.


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I hope you all like my new yarnbomb - The Yarnvent Calendar!
I have been working on this for the past few months and I am sooooo excited that it is finally here!
Throughout the month of December, from 1st to 24th, I will be yarnbombing some Christmas Yarnbombs in Edinburgh to cheer up the city and spread the festive cheer! Perhaps you will find them and keep them, or maybe you'll give them as a gift to someone special! Let me know if you find one!
This is an event that I started and I am trying to promote and get as many people involved in as possible!
Here is a link to The Yarnvent Calendar Official Facebook page:
Please take a wee look and 'like' to show your support! Also get involved if you can! Perhaps help us spread the word or perhaps yarnbomb some things yourself!
This post will be updated as each day goes by to show the progress of The Yarnvent Calendar!
I hope you all enjoy them and get the Christmas feeling!
Day 1 - Three Christmas Bows
Red, Cream & Green bows left on post for Castle Hill - I wonder if it's on the way
to Santa's Workshop?
Red, Cream & Green bows left on post for Castle Hill - I wonder if it's on the way
to Santa's Workshop?
Day 2 - Xmas Pudding Jar
Left in the alcove of the window at Starbucks on the Royal Mile, Edinburgh.
Day 3 - Xmas Fairy
A wee Christmas Fairy left on the railings at Princes Street Gardens outside the Christmas Market.
Day 4 - Snowman in Christmas Tree
My wee snowman left in the Christmas tree at tollcross. Today was the first day we got some snow in Edinburgh so it was meant to be!
Day 5 - Candy Cane
A wee Candy Cane tied to a tree in St. Andrews Square. Snowflakes started to
fall just after I walked away! I really hope it snows tonight! :)
Day 6 - Falling Snow
Well this was an adventure!!!
I was meant to have the snow falling across the street with an archway behind it. The Plan was to tie one end to the 4 railings on the 4th floor of a car park and tie the other end to a weight to throw across to a tree - thus making the snow drops suspended in mid-air.
My test project with an onion went great, however when I tried the real thing with all the snowballs added it was too heavy and they fell short and got tangled up!
I got very strange looks as I scrammbled to rescue them, ran home, de-tangled them and found them a new home in Princes Street Gardens.
I feel that they belong there- it's very Nightmare Before Christmas looking!
Day 7 - Festive Wreath
A Festive Wreath on a tree in Princes Street Gardens! I really wanted to keep this!
Day 8 - Candle in a Jar
Toady I left a wee candle in a jar on thw window ledge of Starbucks on Lothian Road.
It's been very windy today! I hope it survived!
Day 9 - Yarn Ball Xmas Tree
Some nice wee balls of yarn stacked up to make a Christmas Tree with added sparkle of course!
Day 10 - Red Robin
YAY!!!! Soooooo excited because it snowed in Edinburgh this morning!!!
This has made my wee Red Robin Yarnbomb look soooo festive!
I hope the snow stays! It makes everything look pretty and xmassy!
Day 11 - Xmas Pom-Pom Twig Tree in a Jar
Aaaawww! A wee twig tree has blossomed some pom-poms to get into the Christmas spirit!
Day 12 - Mince Pie
A wee mince pie, inspired by a fan when I asked on twitter what I
should make for The Yarnvent Calendar!
Day 13 - Evergreen Pom-Poms in a Jar
I left 5 little Evergreen Pom-Poms in a Jar for someone to hang on their tree!
I thought it was a cute idea and may do some more of these in different variations.
Day 14 - Red Wreath
It was sooo windy today!!!! It almost blew away while I was securing it to the tree!
I hope you like the wee Red Wreath! Check out the back of Edinburgh Castle in the background!
Day 15 - Tinsel Tree in Jar
I hope you all like my wee Tinsel Tree in a Jar!
Perhaps the Pom-Pom Twig tree in a Jar fomo Day 11 blossomed into this!
Day 16 - Sparkly Pom-Pom Garland
I love this wee garland! It's sooo cute even if I do say so myself!
I really hope it ends up in a nice home for Christmas!
Day 17 - Candy Cane Pom-Poms
A wee jar of Candy Cane pom-poms for someone to put on their tree!
Rather fittingly, I left it under the xmas tree for a lucky person to find!
Day 18 - Elf Scarf
Oh no! It looks like one of Santa's Elves lost his scarf whilst getting the letters for Santa!
Day 19 - Pom-Pom Fairy Lights
I LOVE these!!!!
I'm gonna have to make some for myself.
I hope you all like them!
Day 20 - Mistletoe
Some sparkly Mistletoe! Pucker up for a xmas kiss!
Day 21 - Mini Wreath on Window
I'm only going to say this once so pay attention.
Sucker hooks are AWESOME!!!!
Attach to back of yarnbomb, smack onto a window, Done!
I left this one at Starbucks on Lothian Road, Edinburgh.
Day 22 - Icy Pom-Poms
Some wee blue, white and purple icy pom-poms for someone to find and hang on their tree!
Day 23 - Snowball Baubles
Some wee wound-up yarn snowball baubles for someones tree!
Day 24 - Night Before Christmas Mouse
I think this may be my favourite yarnbomb I have EVER done!
Unfortunately, the wee mouse was sooo sleepy that he couldn't leave my house!
Try as I may he wouldn't budge and he settled down infront of some
gingerbread men and is fast asleep waiting for Santa to come!
Let's not wake him up!
Day 25 - BONUS - Swans with Cosy Scarfs
A Christmas Day bonus yarnbomb to finish off The Yarnvent Calendar!
I hope everybody has a wonderful Christmas and I look forward to making more things for
The Yarnvent Calendar 2012 next year!
Merry 'Yarn'mas!
Shadow,Sunshine, Love.


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elite is what works best on a controller, a flight sim.wizaerd wrote: ↑Thu Aug 24, 2017 10:23 amTechnically, there's no reason why an X game couldn't work on a console. The previous X games couldn't because it wasn't designed for it, but if it were designed for a console from the start, and was seen through to the end, it'd be a great addition to the console market. People often lament the lack of buttons on a controller compared to a M&KB, which just isn;t true these days. There are a multitude of button combinations that could indeed work just as well, as demonstrated by Elite's controller support. It's not an RTS game where action per minute matter. And if it could be paused while issuing orders could make even more friendly.
and the lack of buttons mostly isnt the problem, its the lack of fine control you need for anything but relative-rotation-rate orders (aka steering)


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They say opposites attract, but if that's true, why is it so common to see couples who look more like brother and sister than significant others?
The reason could be in your medicine cabinet.
British scientists say that being on birth control pills could play a role in determining which men women find physically attractive.
U.S. & World
According to the study women whose hormones are regulated by contraceptive pills are less likely to seek out muscular or rugged men, opting for more effeminate men who look similar to themselves.
So should guys put down the dumbbells and shave? Not necessarily.
The study also says that women who are not on the pill prefer manly, masculine features that are dissimilar to their own and are more attracted to personality traits such as dominance and male-male competitiveness.
The effects of oral contraceptives could lead to more than just similar-looking couples walking around town.
"There is evidence that genetic similarity between couples might be linked with infertility," said the Trends in Ecology and Evolution medical journal study.
Regulation of hormones through use of the pill prevents women from giving off monthly fertility signals that play a role in attraction between women and men.


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text: The free local entertainment calender. Looking for something to do in Bakersfield this is the place to check! Find a large number of events going on, listed here every day. If you are planning an event and want to get the word out this is the place to list it. The events are in order from the time they start, so check every day to see what else is going on in Bakersfield, California!


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a_haworthroberts wrote:Interesting:
http://toddcwood.blogspot.co.uk/2017/05 ... erent.html (Wood is a young earth creationist - who the more extreme lying YECs frequently appear to ignore or genuinely be ignorant of)
Know It All lying YEC Charlie Wolcott is ignoring or deliberately contradicting (without backing up his claim) Todd Wood:
This species of Homo lived at the same time as our species so might not be a 'missing link' in the traditional sense. Saying it is 'young' does not REMOTELY fit with traditional 'biblical timescales' however.
And then we get the pontificating Wolcott (he might not have seen the Wood article in question as Sorensen simply linked to Wood's site):
"There's actually no real evidence the two skull halves they have there belong to the same creature." Except that there is a WORLD of such evidence (it was outlined in the original 2015 papers for instance).
In the words of Wood - who appears to me more of a mathematician than I am: "I originally said it was incredibly unlikely to be more than one species for statistical reasons. I posted this comment on a private group on Facebook, and I thought it might help explain why the "multiple species" idea doesn't work:
I think it has not been "dealt with" in any formal way, mostly because there is no merit to the claim since it's very unlikely. Actually, we might "calculate" a rough probability. Let's assume there are 30 individuals in the cave, evenly divided between two species. Marchi et al. (2016) report 14 right femoral elements recovered during the first two Dinaledi excavations, all of which are very similar to one another morphologically and therefore from a single species. But a random sample of 14 from a selection of 30 right femurs should give 7 of one species and 7 of the other, all things being equal. Given 30 right femurs, there are 30!/(14!)(16!) = 145422675 possible combinations of 14 different femurs. Since there are 15 right femurs from one species, that means there are 15 ways of selecting just 14 of those femurs. So that means there is a probability of 15/145422675 or 1e-7 of randomly selecting 14 right femurs from the same species (without replacement) in a sample of 30 right femurs evenly split between species. And that's just the right femurs! It gets impossibly improbable when you realize you have the same improbability for every other identifiable skeletal element. It's just a ludicrous proposal."
http://toddcwood.blogspot.co.uk/2017/05 ... erent.html
PS at 12.08 am BST on 15 May:
Or maybe Wolcott was TRYING to suggest that the skulls from Dinaledi and Lesedi are somehow 'different'? Who knows. He provides NO evidence for whatever he is trying to claim regarding 'no real evidence'.


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"By Odin!", exclaimed Clöst Aerfrök, the Village Elder.
"My Magical Thinking-Box has ceased to work..the Seeing-Portal has gone a strange shade of blue. What sort of trickery is this that Loki inflicts on us?
"How shall I be able to figure out the tide schedule, so we can know when to set sail to invade the Celts? How shall I calculate how to distribute our plunder? How shall I count the Lute-Fisk harvest?"
"This is a grave situation. Here, young Apprentice…guard the Portal, until I summon the Viking Council."
"Let ME help!….." offered the Berserker, after Elder Clöst had left.
"No…wait!", said the Apprentice. But it was too late.
"NYARRGH!", the Berserker screamed.
"That evil blue glow smells of DEATH! I shall send these vile spirits back to the realm of Niflheim, from whence they came!"
Elder Clöst came back to find the Berserker standing in a pile of the broken pieces of the Magic Thinking-Box.
"HE did it..not ME!", cried the Apprentice.
"Idiots", Clöst muttered under his breath.
"Sigh…very well. What is done, is done. Summon the Kilted Barefoot one…he will know what to do".
The Kilted Barefoot one arrived, and assessed the carnage.
"Aye, the damage is great. But all is not lost. I may be able to help you."
"Bring me four logs of the stoutest Oak, thick as a man's arm. A heavy length of twine, spun from the finest hemp, and two human skulls, from our bravest defeated enemies".
And the Kilted Barefoot one worked through the night, applying his sorcery…
Came dawn, the Barefoot one presented his work:
"Behold…I have strung the pieces of the broken Thinking-Machine bits along the twine, and have formed an abacus. This will still allow you to calculate and count. Perhaps not as quickly as before, but I promise you, the Blue Screen of Death shall torment you no more".
"Crude, simple, but effective. And still better than what we had before", exclaimed the Elder. "I thank you, O Kilted One. We shall reward you well".
And they did.
And the village was soon able to resume invading the Celts, dividing their plunder, and counting their Lute-Fisk.


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I want to make a force redirect for single.php to index so that it is never reachable by direct access (the site is built in a way that you retrieve all the content on the index page, still need to have this page available though because of an ajax function). I assume this is done in .htaccess?
Edit: I need to be able to access the single.php through an ajax request from the index page, i.e. the redirect should only occur upon direct url access.


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Thank you for visiting our Aibheil of Adare Bridal Wear website where we hope you'll get a taste of what our bridal boutique has to offer you. Aibheil is a beautiful bridal shop in picturesque Adare ,Co. Limerick,Ireland. Aibheil Bridal is well established serving Munster and all of Ireland with designer wedding dresses and bridal accessories.
Aibheil Bridal Wear is conveniently located in Adare, which is 10 miles south west of Limerick easily accessible by new road with Limerick being bypassed.We are open Monday through Saturday by appointment.
We ask of all our customers not to wear any type of fake-tan, bronzing product or lotion with tan in it. This is so we can ensure all our dresses are nice and clean for everyone to try on. You will be refused to try on if you arrive wearing tan. We really appreciate your co-operation and understanding on this.
Just wanted to thank you all for looking after me and providing me with my dream dress. I fell in love with it the minute I put it on ....All you staff were all extremely nice & helpful to me and my family each time we traveled to your beautiful shop, thanks again for making my experience such a lovely & memorable one, I couldn't recommend you highly enough!
Sincerest thanks for your help today, I'm a much happier bride to be!
I cannot thank you enough for everything. My dress and veil were exactly as I imagined. The professionalism and care I experienced at Aibheil was second to none. Thank you for everything.
I recently had the pleasure of walking down the aisle in a Mikaella dress from Aibheil of Adare and I just wanted to thank you very much for the excellent service I received and the helpful advice I was given in regards to necessary alterations. My dress was amazing and perfect for my wedding theme.
Thank you all so much for helping me find the perfect wedding gown and for taking to time to make sure everything was just right. Thank you for making my wedding day special.
To all the staff at Aibheil; I would like to thank you for all your help in finding me my dream wedding dress. I was so thrilled with your service and advice.
Thanks for all the help in choosing my amazing wedding dress and for all the friendly times when I fitted on my dress. Much appreciated.
Thank you so much for great service. I adored my dress and to thank you for being a great supplier. All the Best,
This is just a little note to thank you all for your help in the lead up to our wedding last October. You were a pleasure to deal with. Le gra,
Thanks so much for all your help in choosing the perfect dress for our wedding day. It was admired so much and I've made sure to mention Aibheil to any brides to be.
To all the staff:: Thanks so much for all your help with my dress. Everything was smooth and efficient and everyone was lovely to deal with. I had a really great day and got loads of compliments on the dress.
To all the wonderful staff in Aibheil. Thank you most sincerely for your expertise throughout my dress shopping. You were a pleasure to deal with and thank you all for sorting me out with my wrap despite the delays with the snow. It was very much appreciated.
A big thanks to Aibheil who were absolutely brilliant in helping me find the perfect dress. I was in a bit of a panic as I live in Dubai and had only a couple of days home at Christmas to get "the dress". Not only that but I was in & out of Aibheil in half an hour!! You knew exactly what I needed and listened very carefully to what I was looking for. We had a ball at the Wedding in Rome at Easter My Dad says he'll be sending my two sisters to you as it was the most stress free shopping experience he's ever had!


text:
A One-Stop-Shop for Patients
Sparta Pharmacy is more than just a place you go to fill prescriptions or pick up over-the-counter medications; we are a part of your health care team. We partner with patients as well as health care providers to ensure your prescriptions programs are accurate and effective. Here are some of the services we provide that go beyond ordinary pharmacies.
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Our FREE Delivery service offers you the option of convenient delivery and pick up right from your doorstep.
Benefits Coordination
We can help you focus more on your health and less on paperwork by coordinating insurance benefits and helping to resolve billing issues with nearly any insurance carrier or government program.
Specialty & Hard-to-Find Medicines
Get all your medications from one community pharmacy – we carry an extensive inventory of drugs, that other pharmacies do not carry.
One-on-one personalized counseling is available from our experienced pharmacists about your medications and their side effects.
Education & Information
The better you understand your condition the better you can manage it. We provide information on your health conditions, pharmaceutical treatments, side-effect management and self-care.
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You can now safely dispose unused or expired medications by taking advantage of our take-back program. To learn more about this program click here.
We offer adult immunizations including Flu Shots. No appointments necessary!
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See our compounding section to get further details about our comprehensive compounding services both for you and your pet.
Durable Medical Equipment (DME)
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Blood Pressure & Glucose Screenings
Please call for more information.


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The Daily Word in pink slime, cinnamon challenges and alien brain hemorrhage cocktails
GOP hopeful Newt Gingrich sued for using the Rocky III theme song during rallies.
A principal is on leave after voluntarily watching some students take the "cinnamon challenge."
NBC decides to do away with a Fear Factor episode where contestants drink cups of donkey semen.
Burmese pythons are wreaking havoc on the mammal population in the Everglades.
McDonald's promises to stop using the "pink slime" additive in its food.
Congratulations! You've been admitted to Vassar College ... just kidding!
Have you ever wondered how to make an alien brain hemorrhage cocktail?
This week in pictures? A 198-pound tumor.
Drive your diligent coworkers to drink with this annoying dog application.
WikiLeaks founder Julian Assange plans to take servers to the open waters.
Happy Birthday, Justin Timberlake!
Thanks to Tom Nayder and Carl Petersen for some of today's links.


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(visited by Anton Ymer)
18-May-2002 -- I was out doing some GeoCaching when I happened to fail on one of them. I noticed that I was fairly close to a confluence and I decided that this was a very good day for a first try.
I managed to drive my car within 100m from the point and then walk the final part. The place is a very dense forrest (pines) and there's a faint tractor path very close.
I stayed there for a while to let the GPS home in very well and I think I got the spot exactly (that is with the 5m estimated error).
While I was there I also hid a GeoCache for followers to come [N59E016 Confluence Cache].


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Healthcare Provider Directory
Use HNF'sHealthcare Provider Directory to locate the right HCPs to meet your unique needs as a CMT patient. Our directory allows you to find a HCP in your area, narrowed down by specialty, without having to search the internet. The directory also includes access to ZocDoc, so you can read reviews and accepted insurance plans.
*The Hereditary Neuropathy Foundation does not endorse or recommend specific health care providers or treatment centers.
We strive to keep this directory as accurate as possible. You may encounter addresses, phone numbers, etc., that have changed. If this happens please contact HNF to update us.


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City of GlendoraHome Menu
Consumer Confidence
|2019 Consumer Confidence Report
The City of Glendora is committed to keeping you informed about the quality of your drinking water. This report is provided to you annually. It includes information describing where your drinking water comes from, the constituents found in your drinking water and how the water quality compares with the regulatory standards. We are proud to report that during 2016, the drinking water provided by the City of Glendora met or surpassed all Federal and State drinking water standards. We remain dedicated to providing you with a reliable supply of high quality drinking water.
Regularly scheduled meetings of the City of Glendora City Council are held on the second and fourth Tuesday of each month at 7:00 PM at 116 E. Foothill Blvd., Glendora, California 91741. These meetings provide an opportunity for public participation in decisions that may affect the quality and reliability of your water.
The City of Glendora provides water to customers from three sources: 1) groundwater from the Main San Gabriel Basin, 2) filtered surface water from the Metropolitan Water District of Southern California (MWD), and 3) filtered surface water from the Covina Irrigating Company (CIC). The water is disinfected with chlorine (CIC and groundwater) or chloramines (MWD) before it is delivered to your home. MWD imported water sources are a blend of State Water Project water from northern California and water from the Colorado River Aqueduct. CIC source water originates from the San Gabriel Mountains.
In order to ensure that tap water is safe to drink, the United States Environmental Protection Agency (USEPA) and the California Department of Public Health (CDPH) prescribe regulations that limit the amount of certain contaminants in water provided by public water systems. CDPH regulations also establish limits for contaminants in bottled water that provide the same protection for public health.
Drinking water standards established by USEPA and CDPH set limits for substances that may affect consumer health or aesthetic qualities of drinking water. The chart in this report shows the following types of water quality standards:
· Maximum Contaminant Level (MCL): The highest level of a contaminant that is allowed in drinking water. Primary MCLs are set as close to the PHGs (or MCLGs) as is economically and technologically feasible. Secondary MCLs are set to protect the odor, taste, and appearance of drinking water.
· Maximum Residual Disinfectant Level (MRDL): The highest level of a disinfectant allowed in drinking water. There is convincing evidence that addition of a disinfectant is necessary for control of microbial contaminants.
· Primary Drinking Water Standard: MCLs for contaminants that affect health along with their monitoring and reporting requirements and water treatment requirements.
· Regulatory Action Level (AL): The concentration of a contaminant, which, if exceeded, triggers treatment or other requirements that a water system must follow.
· Notification Level (NL): An advisory level which, if exceeded, requires the drinking water system to notify the governing body of the local agency in which users of the drinking water reside (i.e. city council, county board of supervisors).
In addition to mandatory water quality standards, USEPA and CDPH have set voluntary water quality goals for some contaminants. Water quality goals are often set at such low levels that they are not achievable in practice and are not directly measurable. Nevertheless, these goals provide useful guideposts and direction for water management practices. The chart in this report includes three types of water quality goals:
· Maximum Contaminant Level Goal (MCLG): The level of a contaminant in drinking water below which there is no known or expected risk to health. MCLGs are set by USEPA.
· Maximum Residual Disinfectant Level Goal (MRDLG): The level of a drinking water disinfectant below which there is no known or expected risk to health. MRDLGs do not reflect the benefits of the use of disinfectants to control microbial contaminants.
· Public Health Goal (PHG): The level of a contaminant in drinking water below which there is no known or expected risk to health. PHGs are set by the California Environmental Protection Agency.
The sources of drinking water (both tap water and bottled water) include rivers, lakes, streams, ponds, reservoirs, springs and wells. As water travels over the surface of the land or through the ground, it dissolves naturally occurring minerals and, in some cases, radioactive material, and can pick up substances resulting from the presence of animals or from human activity.
Contaminants that may be present in source water include:
· Microbial contaminants, such as viruses and bacteria, that may come from sewage treatment plants, septic systems, agricultural livestock operations and wildlife.
· Inorganic contaminants, such as salts and metals, that can be naturally-occurring or result from urban stormwater runoff, industrial or domestic wastewater discharges, oil and gas production, mining or farming.
· Pesticides and herbicides that may come from a variety of sources such as agriculture, urban stormwater runoff, and residential uses.
· Radioactive contaminants that can be naturally-occurring or be the result of oil and gas production and mining activities.
· Organic chemical contaminants, including synthetic and volatile organic chemicals, that are byproducts of industrial processes and petroleum production, and can also come from gas stations, urban stormwater runoff, agricultural application and septic systems.
Drinking water, including bottled water, may reasonably be expected to contain at least small amounts of some contaminants. The presence of contaminants does not necessarily indicate that water poses a health risk. More information about contaminants and potential health effects can be obtained by calling the USEPA's Safe Drinking Water Hotline (1-800-426-4791).
Your drinking water is tested by certified professional water system operators and certified laboratories to ensure its safety. The City of Glendora routinely tests drinking water from its wells and distribution system pipes for bacterial and chemical contaminants while MWD and CIC are responsible for testing their treated surface water purchased by the City. The chart in this report shows the average and range of concentrations of the constituents tested in your drinking water during year 2016 or from the most recent tests. The State allows the City to monitor for some contaminants less than once per year because the concentrations of these contaminants do not change frequently. Some of our data, although representative, are more than one year old. The chart lists all the contaminants detected in your drinking water that have federal and state drinking water standards. Detected unregulated contaminants of interest are also included.
Some people may be more vulnerable to contaminants in drinking water than the general population. Immuno-compromised persons such as persons with cancer undergoing chemotherapy, persons who have undergone organ transplants, people with HIV/AIDS or other immune system disorders, some elderly, and infants can be particularly at risk from infections. These people should seek advice about drinking water from their health care providers. USEPA/Centers for Disease Control (CDC) guidelines on appropriate means to lessen the risk of infection by Cryptosporidium and other microbial contaminants are available from the Safe Drinking Water Hotline (1-800-426-4791).
Although nitrate in your drinking water never exceeds the MCL of 45 milligrams per liter (mg/l), nitrate levels may rise quickly for short periods of time because of rainfall or agricultural activity. Nitrate in drinking water at levels above 45 mg/l is a health risk for infants of less than six months of age. Such nitrate levels in drinking water can interfere with the capacity of the infant's blood to carry oxygen, resulting in a serious illness; symptoms include shortness of breath and blueness of the skin. Nitrate levels above 45 mg/l may also affect the ability of the blood to carry oxygen in other individuals, such as pregnant women and those with certain specific enzyme deficiencies. If you are caring for an infant, or you are pregnant, you should ask for advice from your health care provider.
In accordance with the federal Safe Drinking Water Act, an assessment of the drinking water sources for the City of Glendora was completed in December 2001. The purpose of the drinking water source assessment is to promote source water protection by identifying types of activities in the proximity of the drinking water sources which could pose a threat to the water quality. The assessment concluded that City of Glendora's groundwater wells are considered most vulnerable to the following activities or facilities associated with contaminants detected in the water supply: crops irrigation, fertilizer, pesticide/herbicide application, and known contaminant plumes. In addition, the groundwater wells are considered most vulnerable to the following facilities not associated with contaminants detected in the water supply: utility stations maintenance areas, above ground storage tanks and high density of housing. A copy of the complete assessment is available at the City of Glendora at 116 E. Foothill Blvd., Glendora, CA 91741. You may request a summary of the assessment to be sent to you by contacting Mr. Steve Patton at 626-914-8249.
In addition, the City of Glendora purchased surface water from MWD and CIC. Every five years, MWD is required by the CDPH to examine possible sources of drinking water contamination in its State Water Project and Colorado River source waters. MWD has submitted to CDPH its 2010 updates to the Watershed Sanitary Surveys for the Colorado River and State Water Project, which include suggestions for how to better protect these source waters. Both source waters are exposed to stormwater runoff, recreational activities, wastewater discharges, wildlife, fires, and other watershed-related factors that could affect water quality. USEPA also requires MWD to complete one Source Water Assessment (SWA) that utilizes information collected in the watershed sanitary surveys. MWD completed its SWA in December 2002. The SWA is used to evaluate the vulnerability of water sources to contamination and helps determine whether more protective measures are needed. A copy of the most recent summary of either Watershed Sanitary Survey or the SWA can be obtained by calling MWD at (213) 217-6850.
In 2010, CIC completed its update to the San Gabriel River Watershed Sanitary Survey. The watershed sanitary survey concluded that CIC's surface water source is vulnerable to debris removal and recreational activities. You may request a summary of the survey to be sent to you by contacting Mr. Steve Patton at 626-914-8249.
"Community water fluoridation continues to be the most cost-effective, practical and safe means for reducing and controlling the occurrence of tooth decay in a community." U.S. Surgeon General
Fluoride has been added to U.S. drinking water supplies since 1945. Of the 50 largest cities in the U.S., 43 fluoridate their drinking water. In December 2007, MWD joined a majority of the nation's public water suppliers in adding fluoride to drinking water in order to prevent tooth decay. In line with recommendations from the CDPH, as well as the U.S. Centers for Disease Control and Prevention, MWD adjusted the natural fluoride level in imported treated water from the Colorado River and State Project water to the optimal range for dental health of 0.7 to 1.3 parts per million. Our local water is not supplemented with fluoride. Fluoride levels in drinking water are limited under California state regulations at a maximum dosage of 2 parts per million.
For more information about the MWD's fluoridation program, please contact Edgar G. Dymally at (213) 217-5709 or at email@example.com.
If present, elevated levels of lead can cause serious health problems, especially for pregnant women and young children. Lead in drinking water is primarily from materials and components associated with service lines and home plumbing. The City of Glendora is responsible for providing high quality drinking water, but cannot control the variety of materials used in plumbing components. When your water has been sitting for several hours, you can minimize the potential for lead exposure by flushing your tap for 30 seconds to 2 minutes before using water for drinking or cooking. If you are concerned about lead in your water, you may wish to have your water tested. Information on lead in drinking water, testing methods, and steps you can take to minimize exposure is available from the Safe Drinking Water Hotline or at http://www.epa.gov/safewater/lead.
For more information or questions regarding this report, please contact Mr. Steve Patton at 626-852-4838.
Este informe contiene información muy importante sobre su agua potable. Para mas información ó traducción, favor de contactar a Mr. Steve Patton. Telefono: 626-852-4838.


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Best Sunday Lunch In Kent
Roy and June and their team welcome you to the Wagon & Horses - a traditional country pub nestling in woodland on the top of the North Downs in Charing. Situated on the Faversham Road, the Wagon & Horses is close to Canterbury, Leeds Castle and the 'Darling Buds of May' villages.
The pub boasts a beer garden, large car park and a Caravan Club caravan site.
Pub Lunch Kent
The Wagon & Horses offers a traditional and home cooked menu which changes on a regular basis to accompany the Wagon & Horses favourites. We also have a selection of vegetarian options available each day and to accompany your meal, we stock an excellent range of affordable wines.
The bar sells a great selection of beers and lagers, with cask ales and lagers supplemented by a large selection of bottled beers and continental lagers.
Always Welcome
So, if you're in the Charing area, why not join us at the Wagon & Horses? You are always welcome to stay for a few days, for lunch, for dinner, for a snack or just for a drink.
Booking is always advisable, particularly on weekends and holidays.
Groups, parties and rallies welcome.
Would defo recommend. A caravan club CL which we used as a stop over from France. The owners were helpful and polite and the food was lovely. Would use again when sailing to France.
Lovely pub we found on a nice evening drive so decided to stop and have a bite to eat, the food was brilliant and the service was on time too, atmosphere was lovely, will come back again soon x
Stumbled across this Kent pub and decided to stop for a bite to eat. Was not disappointed. Friendly staff, good choice of food and reasonably priced. Quantity and quality of food was excellent. Would highly recommend. They also have a campsite (#dogfriendly ) if you need a caravan break.


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Rock Paper Shotgun
Rock, Paper, Shotgun records 2.1 million UB in March
PC blog Rock, Paper, Shotgun has announced an ABC audit readership figure of 2.15 million unique browsers in March 2012.
Rock Paper Shotgun headlines
SOPA blackout: JAW, Oddworld, RPS, Gama, SavyGamer protest
Oddworld developer Just Add Water and the Oddworld website, Rock, Paper, Shotgun, Gamasutra and SavyGamer have all blacked out in protest to SOPA this morning.
Quintin Smith leaves Rock, Paper, Shotgun
Rock, Paper, Shotgun writer Quintin Smith has announced he will be leaving the site effectively as of today. Smith says he's leaving the site to pursue "ordinary freelancing." Smith became full-time one-fourth of the RPS massive after Kieron Gillen left games journalism back in October of last year.All the best, dude.
Kieron Gillen leaves games journalism
Rock Paper Shotgun writer Kieron Gillen has announced he's left full-time games journalism after 15 years.
Games let you commit "violations of international law," says human rights groups
In a recent report just released, via the BBC, two human rights organisations has accused videogames of letting you commit "violations of international law.The groups Trial and Pro Juventute carried out the study, and played games like Call of Duty 4, 24: The Game, Far Cry 2 and Metal Gear Solid, to name a few.The […]


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WALTHAM ON THE WOLDS, England, April 19 (UPI) -- Pregnant women who own dogs have increased physical activity and are more likely to meet guidelines for daily activity, researchers in Britain found.
The study from the Waltham Centre for Pet Nutrition, the science center behind Cesar Canine Cuisine, and the University of Liverpool found many benefits of dog ownership during pregnancy.
The research concluded that since pregnant women who own dogs are more physically active they were more likely to maintain a healthy weight during pregnancy.
"We are increasingly seeing that exercising with a dog can lead to improved motivation and effectiveness," Dr. Sandra McCune, research program manager at Waltham Centre for Pet Nutrition, said in a statement. "As a low-risk exercise, dog walking can help women, who may otherwise find it hard to meet their exercise targets, keep active and fit during pregnancy. Together with a balanced diet, it could therefore help towards ensuring a healthy pregnancy."
The study found pregnant women who own dogs are approximately 50 percent more likely to achieve the recommended 30 minutes of activity per day by going for a brisk walk.


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Competition is Rx to slow costs
Three years into the Affordable Care Act, America's employers are still looking for the affordable part.
Despite a recent slowdown, health care inflation remains two to three times the rate of general inflation. Health insurance is expected to cost a family $16,000 this year, double what it cost a decade ago.
No one understands better than employers that this is bad for business. The rising cost of health care is sapping U.S. competitiveness, taking money out of employees' pockets and commanding too much of our nation's economic output.
This is why Congress must focus on cost containment, the unfinished business of health reform, as it works to tame entitlement spending and the deficit. Congress can tackle the cost issue head-on by making both public and private-sector payment for care dependent on delivering the high-quality care every hardworking American deserves.
Some of America's largest companies, including Walmart, have aligned with the Pacific Business Group on Health to ask Congress to take significant steps to address health care costs and stimulate a competitive and responsible health care marketplace.
To develop the purchaser's point of view, PBGH has been working in partnership with the Robert Wood Johnson Foundation and with companies and organizations like the Group Insurance Commission of Massachusetts that together account for $108 billion in health care spending per year. These public and private purchasers know that we need to change how health care is paid for if they are going to improve the health of their workers and lower everyone's health care costs.
Purchasers want Congress to do three things. First, join us in creating genuine incentives for consumers and providers to improve health and health care. Second, make the cost and quality of health care transparent — the importance of this step was underscored by the recent release of wildly varying hospital prices from the Centers for Medicare & Medicaid Services. And finally, promote healthy competition among providers. All are essential ingredients to help keep costs in check and improve the quality of care workers receive.
Employers have reacted to the current pace of health reform by initiating their own innovations. For example, Walmart launched a program that pays six top-performing health care systems such as the Mayo Clinic and Cleveland Clinic one sum for the entire array of services necessary for cardiac or back surgery. Workers pay no out-of-pocket costs if they select one of these high-quality providers to perform their surgery. By paying providers with a high-quality track record one sum for the bundle of services, Walmart expects to encourage care coordination, bring down costs and improve patients' experiences.
But the time has come for more than one-off actions by individual employers. It is too late for incremental fixes. We need America's largest health care purchaser, the federal government, to join our efforts to use its purchasing power as purposefully as these businesses do and move faster to change the way Americans receive and pay for care. Both public and private sectors should pay providers based on the quality and efficiency — not the volume — of their services and encourage consumers to select high-value providers.
This is the moment for change to happen in Washington. We call on other employers to join us as we ask the government to move faster in helping us provide high-quality, high-value health care to our employees. And we encourage lawmakers to take a cue from recent proposals by organizations like the Partnership for Sustainable Health Care, the Bipartisan Policy Center, the Commonwealth Fund and the Brookings Institution, among others, to transform the health care system by improving efficiency, clinical effectiveness and value for patients.
Many of the proposals that Congress is considering to reduce Medicare spending — raising the age limit for Medicare, converting Medicare to a premium support program and increasing cost-sharing for higher-income beneficiaries — will do nothing to slow the trend of rapidly growing health care costs. More seriously, some of these steps may shift costs to the private sector, increasing the cost burden on workers and companies that is already too high.
Congress needs to act and act fast. Working together, the public and private sectors can create healthy competition among providers based on cost, patient experience and health outcomes to get the innovation and improvement America needs.
David Lansky is the CEO of the Pacific Business Group on Health.
Sally Welborn is senior vice president of global benefits at Walmart.


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Numerous housing and HIV/AIDS advocacy organizations are rallying in D.C. on Wednesday, Jul. 24 at 1 p.m. at the Capitol Southeast Lawn (1st and Independence SE, Washington D.C.). This coalition of organizations is joining together to demand a repeal of the sequester and push back on the GOP's proposed budget for the Department of Housing and Urban Development and drawing attention to the negative impacts these funding cuts have on the communities that we serve.
Housing is an important and cost-effective way to improve health outcomes for people living with HIV/AIDS and prevent new infections. Prevention and care efforts that focus on changing individual behaviors cannot succeed if people do not have a safe and secure place to live.
Homelessness and unstable housing has been linked to increased behaviors that put an individual at risk for HIV infection, including IV drug use and unsafe sexual behaviors. Housing instability magnifies HIV risk for vulnerable populations and is a barrier to reducing HIV risk through prevention and harm reduction interventions such as counseling and needle exchanges.
Stable housing helps people living with HIV/AIDS enter care and adhere to their treatment programs. Homeless persons with HIV who receive a housing placement are twice as likely to achieve an undetectable viral load. Rates of HIV infection among homeless individuals are as much as 16 times higher than in the general population.
Put simply, the AIDS epidemic cannot be ended without addressing homelessness and housing instability among people living with HIV/AIDS. With individuals at all levels of government claiming to want to "get to zero" and create an "AIDS-free generation," the sequester and GOP budget cut proposals are undermining the effort. The GOP budget for HUD and the Department of Transportation were a combined $44 billion, $7.7 bill less than their 2013 spending levels and $4.4 billion below the current level of spending that went into effect after the March 1st sequester. The deep cuts that are taking place as a result of sequestration include funding to discretionary programs including virtually all targeting homelessness and supporting affordable housing for low-income individuals and families, including veterans. The Center on Budget and Policy Priorities estimates that sequestration will reduce federal housing assistance by more than $2 billion in 2013. HUD estimates that more than 100,000 homeless and formerly homeless people will be removed from housing or shelter programs as a result of sequestration, severely impacting the provision of safe and affordable housing and necessary supportive services.
These will undermine what has been a slow but significant decrease in homelessness. Between 2009 and 2011, there was a 1% reduction (about 7,000 people) in homelessness in the U.S. as a result of increased investment in HUD and other federal efforts to end homelessness.
To push back on these cuts to programs that we know undermine the goal of preventing new cases of HIV/AIDS and allowing those living with the disease to be healthy by decreasing access to safe and affordable housing and support services, we will rally on Jul. 24 (WEDNESDAY) to demand funding to continue that work. We will gather at 1 p.m. at the Capitol Southeast Lawn (1st and Independence SE, Washington D.C.).
Supporting organizations of the rally include:
- Coalition on Human Needs
- National Healthcare for the Homeless Council
- National Alliance to End Homelessness
- Mercy Housing
- Supportive Housing Network of New York
- Campaign to End AIDS
- Washington Legal Clinic for the Homeless
- HIV Prevention Justice Alliance
- AIDS Foundation of Chicago
- National Coalition for the Homeless
- So Others Might Eat (SOME)
- The Women's Collective
- Gregory House Program
- Sasha Bruce Youthwork
- National Disability Rights Network
- Miriam's Kitchen
- National Network for Youth
Rebekah Horowitz is a consultant for Housing Works.