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2014 Ram 1500 EcoDiesel First Drive
A Return to Rationality
For the better part of the last decade, the focus on diesel powertrains in pickup-truck applications was primarily on ever-increasing capability. That has culminated today in HD trucks with 850 lb-ft of torque from the factory with a 30,000-lb towing capacity. Clearly, for all but the most dedicated heavy haulers, it was far more capability than most customers needed or wanted. Ram is looking to redefine how customers see diesels in pickups with the introduction of the 2014 Ram 1500 EcoDiesel.
But just because the brand is introducing a lighter-duty diesel in its truck line does not mean it's abandoning its commitment to the heavy-duty market. As mentioned in the introduction, Ram currently leads the HD class in maximum torque and towing capacity, and is committed to continuing to serve those loyal, function-focused customers, says Mike Cairns, Ram's chief engineer. He was present for a multi-day Ram event showcasing some of the brand's new models for media.
But Cairns said the overwhelming feedback the company received from light-duty customers was for greater fuel efficiency in a half-ton truck. Many in these groups mentioned the desire for a diesel engine option.
Cairns said he believes the appeal of the Ram EcoDiesel covers a broad range of potential customers, including those with boats, travel trailers, watercraft or other recreational items. Those customers want enough power to tow, but want good commuting fuel economy Monday through Friday.
Why Not Higher?
Eagle-eyed readers may note the maximum towing capacity of the Ram 1500 EcoDiesel is 9200 lb. On-paper, that's one ton less than the maximum rating for a Ford F-150 equipped with an EcoBoost V-6. Some buyers may see the capability gap as a weakness or shortcoming of the light-duty diesel drivetrain compared to the Ford. Cairns disagrees, saying that the line between light-duty and HD trucks has been blurred within the last few years. He blames that on competitors' marketing departments. "We do a lot of customer surveys and clinics. The light-duty (1500) customers are not asking for more payload or more towing. They consider all of the Detroit Three's half-tons essentially the same in terms of capability. The EcoDiesel will tow what a half-ton customer needs to tow. I've said consistently for years, if you have a 10,000-lb or bigger trailer, you should be getting an HD truck, it's a tool made for the job. I think the target customer will recognize what a half-ton truck is made for, which is a towing range of 5000-7000 lb."
Cairns says he sees potentially broad appeal for the new EcoDiesel. "I think there are two camps of customers we're going to draw to this new truck. I think we'll attract the traditional diesel guys, the guys that love the durability, capability and image that comes with a diesel, and have moved up to 2500 trucks, but might be better-served with a lighter-duty truck. We'll get those customers that want a diesel at a little lower price point than the HDs. I think we'll also draw customers that once owned a truck, and loved the utility of a truck, but moved away from the segment for fuel economy reasons. But they've never stopped wanting a full-size pickup truck. We'll get them back with a product that offers around the same fuel economy of what they went to, with all the utility of a truck. I think we'll get a lot of people back into the truck market," he said.
Behind The Wheel
With the context set for the marketing and targeting of the Ram EcoDiesel, what's the behind-the-wheel experience? For one, it's completely unique in the half-ton, or even the entire full-size truck market, for that matter. In the Ram 1500 line, the EcoDiesel has the lowest horsepower, but the highest torque output, at 420 lb-ft, of any of the engine options. Ram is estimating a 0-60 time of less than nine seconds, but did not get more specific. The power delivery of the 3.0-liter turbodiesel V-6 paired with the TorqueFlite 8 eight-speed automatic transmission is unlike that of either a gasoline turbo V-6, or a naturally-aspirated gasoline V-8. There is just a whiff of turbo lag off idle, but the engine quickly climbs to its torque peak, and we had no problem laying a few patches of rubber off-the-line with the EcoDiesel.
With a modest (by today's standards) 240 peak horsepower, the EcoDiesel doesn't exactly plant you into the seat with scenery-blurring acceleration. The sensation is more that of consistent, linear, solid torque and acceleration. Loaded or unloaded, the EcoDiesel gets up to speed without drama, but frankly, without a lot of excitement, either.
Thanks to the inherent drivetrain isolation characteristics of a body-on-frame design, the EcoDiesel installed in the Ram is even quieter and more refined than its installation in the unibody Jeep Grand Cherokee. The engine is exceptionally quiet at idle, with just the faintest hint of the characteristic diesel clatter from inside the cabin. Under acceleration, the engine is a little more audible, but the predominant sound characteristic is more that of a six-cylinder engine than specifically that of a diesel. Getting on and off the throttle does occasionally elicit some whooshing and gasping sounds from the turbo, but nothing objectionable and untoward.
Cairns believes -- and we concur -- that the major selling point of the EcoDiesel will be fuel economy. On a hilly, winding driving route with plenty of elevation changes and tight turns, our test truck showed an indicated 20 mpg average, with two journalists driving in a not-particularly-frugal manner. We heard stories of other drivers getting as high as 24 or 26 mpg on the same route with a more deliberate emphasis on economy. Towing an approximately 4000-lb boat and trailer in a suburban setting with some significant inclines, we averaged an indicated 13.4 mpg.
Ram has not yet officially released fuel economy figures for the EcoDiesel, but we are confidently predicting 18/27 for the 4WD model and 19/28 for the 2WD model. Stay tuned to our 2014 Truck of the Year testing, where a Ram 1500 EcoDiesel is among the contenders.
|2014 Ram 1500 EcoDiesel
|Front-engine, RWD/4WD),3-5-pass, 2-4-door truck
|3.0L/240-hp/420-lb-ft turbodiesel DOHC 24-valve V-6
|8-speed automatic
|4500-5250 lb (mfr)
|120.5-149.5 in
|209.0-237.9 x 79.4 x 74.4-79.6 in
|7.0-8.0 sec (MT est)
|20 / 27 mpg (est)
|169 / 125 kW-hrs/100 miles (est)
|0.98 lb/mile (est)


text: Combo Solution for DDR2 & DDR3 Transition DDR3/DDR2 Dual channel Memory ASUS Anti-Surge Asus Turbo Key DirectX10 support ASUS Express Gate ASUS EPU Shop Modal header Intel® Core™2 Quad / Core™2 Duo CPU support This motherboard supports Intel® LGA775 Core™ 2 Quad/ Core™ 2 Duo processors, which are excellent for multitasking, multimedia, and enthusiastic gamers with 1333/1066/800 MHz FSB. This motherboard also supports Intel® CPUs in the 45nm manufacturing process. LGA775 Intel® 45nm Processor Ready This motherboard supports the latest Intel 45nm CPU which introduces new micro-architecture features for greater performance at a given frequency, up to 50% larger L2 caches, and expanded power management capabilities for new levels of energy efficiency. Dual channel DDR3 1333(O.C.) / DDR2 1066(O.C.) support The motherboard supports DDR3 1333/1066/800 MHz or DDR2 memory 1066/800/667 MHz to meet the higher bandwidth requirements of the latest operation system, 3D graphics, multimedia, and Internet applications. The dual-channel DDR3/DDR2 architecture doubles the bandwidth of your system memory to boost system performance, eliminating bottlenecks with peak bandwidths of up to 19.2 GB/s. Intel® G41 Chipset The Intel® G41 Express Chipset is designed to support dual-channel DDR2 1066 (overclocking)/800/667 architecture, 1333/1066/800 Front Side Bus (FSB), PCIe 1.1, and mutli-core CPUs. It especially includes Intel® Fast memory bandwidth and reduces the latency of the memory accesses. High Definition Audio Enjoy high-end sound system on your PC! The onboard 8-channel HD audio (High Definition Audio, previously codenamed Azalia) CODEC enables high-quality 192KHz/24-bit audio output, jack-sensing feature, retasking functions and multi-streaming technology that simultaneously sends different audio streams to different destinations. You can now talk to your partners on the headphone while playing a multi-channel network games. All of these are done on one computer. Gigabit LAN The on-board LAN controller is a highly integrated GbLAN controller. It is enhanced with an ACPI management function to provide efficient power management for advanced operating systems. ASUS Express Gate Express Gate is a unique OS built into the motherboard. Five seconds after bootup, you can instantly surf the Internet without entering the Windows OS.• ASUS Express Gate supports installation on SATA HDDs, USB HDDs and flash drives with at least 1.2GB free disk space. When installing it on USB HDDs or flash drives, connect the drives to the motherboard USB port before turning on the computer.• The actual boot time depends on the system configuration.• ASUS Express Gate supports file uploading from SATA HDDs, ODDs and USB drives. It supports file downloading to USB drives only.• ASUS Express Gate complies with the OpenGL standard. Refer to support.asus.com for Express Gate source codes. Anti-Surge Protection This special design prevents expensive devices and the motherboard from damage caused by power surges from switching power supply(PSU). ASUS EPU The ASUS EPU (Energy Processing Unit) provides total system power management by detecting current PC loadings and intelligently moderating power in real-time. It automatically provides the most appropriate power usage to save power and money! Turbo Key ASUS Turbo Key allows you to turn the PC power button into an overclocking button. After you easy setup, Turbo Key boosts performances without interrupting ongoing work or games, simply through pressing the button. Serial ATA 3Gb/s technology This motherboard supports hard drives based on the Serial ATA (SATA) 3Gb/s storage specifications, delivering enhanced scalability and doubling the bus bandwidth for high-speed data saving and retrieval. C.P.R.(CPU Parameter Recall) The BIOS C.P.R. feature automatically restores the CPU default settings when the system hangs due to overclocking failure. C.P.R. eliminates the need to open the system chassis and clear the RTC data. Simply shut down and reboot the system, and the BIOS automatically restores the CPU parameters to their default settings. ASUS Q-Fan ASUS Q-FAN technology intelligently and automatically adjusts the CPU fan speed according to system load and temperature, enabling users to work in distraction-free environment with minimal noise. 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GreenASUS The motherboard and its packaging comply with the European Union´s Restriction on the use of Hazardous Substances (RoHS). This is in line with the ASUS vision of creating environment-friendly and recyclable products and packaging to safeguard consumers´ health while minimizing the impact on the environment.

subset: commoncrawl


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Avery Goldstein is the David M. Knott Professor of Global Politics and International Relations in the Political Science Department, Inaugural Director of the Center for the Study of Contemporary China, and Associate Director of the Christopher H. Browne Center for International Politics at the University of Pennsylvania. His research focuses on international relations, security studies, and Chinese politics. He is the author of Rising to the Challenge: China's Grand Strategy and International Security (Stanford University Press, 2005), Deterrence and Security in the 21st Century: China, Britain, France and the Enduring Legacy of the Nuclear Revolution (Stanford University Press, 2000), and From Bandwagon to Balance of Power Politics: Structural Constraints and Politics in China, 1949-1978 (Stanford University Press, 1991). Among his other publications are articles in the journals International Security, International Organization, Journal of Strategic Studies, Security Studies, China Quarterly, Asian Survey, Comparative Politics, Orbis, and Polity as well as chapters in a variety of edited volumes. Goldstein is also a Senior Fellow at the Foreign Policy Research Institute in Philadelphia.
- International Relations Theory
- Strategic/Security Studies
- Chinese Politics
- International Security
- Strategic Studies (Graduate Seminar)
- Contemporary Chinese Politics
- International Relations Theory (Graduate Seminar)
Selected Books and Chapters
"The End of the Beginning: China and the Consolidation of the Nuclear Revolution," in Michael D. Gordin and G. John Ikenberry, eds., The Age of Hiroshima, (Princeton, NJ: Princeton University Press, 2020), pp. 221-242.
"China's Economic Reform and Opening at 40: Past Accomplishments and Emerging Challenges," (with Jacques deLisle) in Jacques deLisle and Avery Goldstein, eds. To Get Rich is Glorious: Challenges Facing China's Economic Reform and Opening at Forty, (Washington, DC: Brookings Institution Press, 2019), pp. 1-26.
"A Rising China's Growing Presence: The Challenges of Global Engagement" in Jacques deLisle and Avery Goldstein, eds., China's Global Engagement: Cooperation, Competition, and Influence in the 21st Century (Washington, DC: Brookings Institution Press, 2017), pp. 1-33.
"The Political Economy of Regional Security in East Asia," (with Edward D. Mansfield), in Avery Goldstein and Edward D. Mansfield, eds., The Nexus of Economics, Security, and International Relations in East Asia (Stanford, CA: Stanford University Press, 2012), pp. 1-38.
Rising to the Challenge: China's Grand Strategy and International Security. (Stanford University Press, 2005). Buy this book from the publisher.
Deterrence and Security in the 21st Century : China, Britain, France, and the Enduring Legacy of the Nuclear Revolution. (Stanford University Press, 2000). Buy this book from the publisher.
From Bandwagon to Balance-of-Power Politics: Structural Constraints and Politics in China, 1949-1978. (Stanford University Press, 1991). Buy this book from the publisher.
"Parsing China's Rise: International Circumstances and National Attributes," in Robert S. Ross and Zhu Feng, eds., China's Ascent: Power, Security, and The Future of International Politics (Ithaca: Cornell University Press, 2008). Buy this book from the publisher.
"Across the Yalu: China's Interests and the Korean Peninsula in a Changing World," in Alastair Iain Johnston and Robert S, Ross, eds., New Directions in the Study of China's Foreign Policy (Stanford: Stanford University Press, 2006), pp. 131-161. Buy this book from the publisher.
Selected Journal Articles
"China's Real and Present Danger: Now Is the Time for Washington to Worry," Foreign Affairs, vol. 92, no. 5 (September/October 2013), pp. 136-44.
"First Things First: The Pressing Danger of Crisis Instability in U.S.-China Relations," International Security, vol. 37, no. 4 (Spring 2013), pp. 49-89.
"When Fighting Ends: Peace & Prosperity in East Asia," with Edward D. Mansfield, Cover Story, Global Asia Vol. 6, No. 2 (Summer 2011), pp. 9-15. http://www.globalasia.org/V6N2_Summer_2011/Avery_Goldstein&Edward_D_Mansfield.html
"Power Transitions, Institutions, and China's Rise in East Asia: Theoretical Expectations and Evidence." The Journal of Strategic Studies Vol. 30, No. 4-5 (August-October 2007), pp. 639-682.
"Great Expectations: Interpreting China's Arrival." International Security 22: 3 (Winter 1997/98), pp. 36-73. Reprinted as the lead chapter in Michael E. Brown, Owen R. Cote, Jr., Sean M. Lynn-Jones, and Steven E. Miller, The Rise of China (Cambridge, MA: MIT Press, 2000), pp. 3-40.
"Discounting the Free Ride: Alliances and Security in the Postwar World." International Organization 49: 1 (Winter 1995), pp. 39-71.


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In some projects, teamwork can literally be expressed in units of measurement. Like when you're building a 900-tonne module. This mammoth component was the result of intense and collaborative development work, overseen by Linde project manager Dr Luis Grimm. He and his team of specialists had to overcome enormous technical and organisational challenges before shipping their nitrogen removal unit (NRU) to its final destination. "We started out with a simple process diagram three years ago," explains Luis Grimm. "But we knew that we had an extremely complex task ahead of us." The Linde experts could only achieve their ambitious goal through close collaboration.
Increasing the value of natural gas as a fuel
It all started back in 2013, when Linde Engineering was commissioned to build an NRU for a customer in Western Australia. The unit was to be integrated into one of the country's largest natural gas plants, where it would be used to increase the calorific value of natural gas so that it could be fed into the local supply grid.
As a one-stop provider, Linde was responsible for the entire process – from planning through the procurement of all parts to module assembly. "Very few companies worldwide can offer a one-stop service for a complex project on this scale," explains engineering manager Andreas Behrendt. "We have the technical know-how coupled with the engineering and procurement excellence to overcome all the logistical and organisational hurdles involved in a full-service package such as this."
The project also presented its own cost challenges. Building the unit in Australia would have pushed costs up significantly. As a result, the unit was to be modularised and assembled in Europe. It would then be shipped practically "ready to run" to Australia. Linde decided to assemble the unit in the Spanish port of Tarragona, opting for a modular approach from the get-go. The assembly of the four NRU modules was overseen by the Linde site in Schalchen, Germany.
Process animation of removing nitrogen from natural gas
The process of removing nitrogen from natural gas
The NRU functions in the following way: The incoming nitrogen-methane mixture is initially pre-cooled to minus 18 degrees Celsius in the first module, the dew point control skid, using plate-fin heat exchangers from Linde. Heavy hydrocarbons are separated through condensation. The nitrogen-methane mixture is then cooled further to minus 186 degrees Celsius in the second module, the coldbox. The components in the mixture can be cryogenically separated in this way because nitrogen and methane condense at different temperatures. The unit vents the nitrogen to the atmosphere while the methane is fed into one of the two pump modules, where it is compressed to different pressures for different applications.
"The coldbox is at the heart of the unit, weighing 350 tonnes and measuring 35 metres," says Luis Grimm. "It is an extremely complex module and you can't simply buy it off-the-shelf for an application like this". The entire unit had to be planned specifically for the conditions in Australia, as Andreas Behrendt explains: "The composition of the natural gas, for example, is different for every project. And it also changes during the lifecycle of the entire unit". As a result, Linde's engineers had to factor in a number of different potential scenarios. "Our NRU is designed for different operational conditions. This makes it extremely flexible".
Nitrogen rejection unit (NRU) model fabrication at Tarragona, Spain
140,000 working hours for assembly
"Coordination was one of the biggest challenges," adds Grimm. Linde Engineering, however, has decades of experience with complex projects, designing many different unit components and coordinating procurement to ensure each one is available on the construction site – precisely when it is needed. The assembly process was subject to stringent test and safety regulations. In the end, engineers worked 60,000 hours on the project. A further 140,000 hours were needed to assemble the unit in Tarragona.
The customer benefitted from Linde's all-round package, spanning design, procurement and delivery. "The benefits of a modular design can be summarised in four categories," explains Ralf Bellaire, Head of Engineering at Linde Engineering. "Number one, reducing construction cost; number two, reducing the construction schedule; number three, minimising the risk exposure; and number four, increasing the quality".


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Book lovers from all over Southern California gathered at their local Borders on Friday to pick up some bargains as the giant bookseller began selling off inventory.
Items including books, stationery, music and movies will be sold, along with store fixtures, shelving, furnishings and equipment, with discounts going up to 40 percent.
One shopper bought 30 books, saving about $70.
Local news from across Southern California
"The line was about 45 minutes, we were standing in the line," said customer Masuma Vazil.
In Southern California, 524 people will lose their jobs after the liquidation is over, with as many as 10,700 chain employees hitting the unemployment lines nationwide.
All 259 Borders superstores, 114 Borders Express and Waldenbooks, and 26 Borders airport stores across the country are part of the liquidation.
Borders filed for bankruptcy in February. Its CEO blames the closure on a turbulent economy, a changing book industry, and the ereader revolution.
"For decades, Borders stores have been destinations within communities-places where people have sought knowledge, entertainment and enlightenment and connected with others who share their passions. I feel privileged to have had the opportunity to lead Borders and play a role in the true and noble cause of expanding access to books and promoting the joy of reading," said Mike Edwards, CEO of Borders, in an e-mail to customers.
"As a company, we cannot thank you enough for giving us the opportunity to serve you and the millions of other customers who have shopped our stores over the years," the e-mail from Edwards continues. "My sincerest hope is that we remain in the hearts of readers for years to come. Many thanks."
The sales are expected to wrap up in September, leaving readers to start a new chapter somewhere else.


text: Job Discussion Forums :: View topic - Hiring before I arrive in RIO Brazil Get TEFL Certified & Start Your Adventure Today! Job Discussion Forums"The Internet's Meeting Place for ESL/EFL Students and Teachers from Around the World!" FAQ Search Memberlist Usergroups Register Profile Log in to check your private messages Log in Hiring before I arrive in RIO Brazil Job Discussion Forums Forum Index -> Brazil View previous topic :: View next topic Author Message spencoidJoined: 12 Apr 2012Posts: 2 Posted: Tue May 15, 2012 2:15 pm Post subject: Hiring before I arrive in RIO Brazil Hello! I was wondering if anybody knew of any English language schools that might be able to hire someone before they arrive in Brazil. I'm working on a special visa (with IICA) that would allow me to legally work for one year, but in order for that to work I have to apply for it before I am in Brazil and need to have an agreement with a school. Looking for Rio schools mostly, but am open to any mid-size to large cities. If anybody has any contacts or tips please let me know! I'm currently working as an English Teacher and am TEFL certified. Thanks! Back to top dudeteacherJoined: 27 Feb 2010Posts: 173 Posted: Tue Aug 21, 2012 10:17 pm Post subject: I also would like to know what are the odds of getting hired if you apply from outside of Brazil. Or is it imperative to have a face to face interview? Dude Back to top ShadowCat17Joined: 30 Nov 2010Posts: 12Location: Salvador-BA, Brasil Posted: Mon Oct 22, 2012 11:34 am Post subject: I've never seen anyone get hired from outside Brazil... keep in mind that virtually no school will sponsor you for a work visa, so most teachers either work under the table, or else are already married to a Brazilian so their legal situation is set. IICA is one of the only programs, to my knowledge, that arranges it all for you and where you can apply from outside Brazil. Here's someone who has gone (is going?) through IICA and is teaching in Manaus in the north. She hasn't posted in a while, but you can contact her through her blog: http://sameboatdifferentocean.wordpress.com/category/iica-internship/ Back to top jimpellowJoined: 12 Oct 2007Posts: 913 Posted: Sat Nov 03, 2012 11:59 pm Post subject: I just went through what you tried and it was exercise in frustration. Lots of interest from schools in Brazil, but as no one seems to read cover letters (surprise, surprise), the ones that all contacted me hadn't realized I was not yet in Brazil. Killed it ASAP every single time. Either no subsequent response (very rude, cross them off the list), or a definitely contact me when you get here reply. So as others have said with more knowledge than myself on ESL in this country, there do seem to be enough opportunities there, but you have to take the leap of faith and move there to get them. Back to top Display posts from previous: All Posts1 Day7 Days2 Weeks1 Month3 Months6 Months1 Year Oldest FirstNewest First Job Discussion Forums Forum Index -> Brazil All times are GMT Page 1 of 1 Jump to: Select a forum Where to Begin----------------General DiscussionNewbie ForumCurrent Events ForumTechnology ForumOnline Teaching Forum Africa Forums----------------General Africa Forum Asia Forums----------------CambodiaChina (Job-related Posts Only)China (Off-Topic)Hong KongIndiaIndonesiaJapanMalaysiaPhilippinesSingaporeTaiwanThailandGeneral Asia ForumVietnam Caribbean Forums----------------General Caribbean Forum Europe Forums----------------Czech RepublicFranceGermanyGreeceItalyMacedonia and the BalkansPolandRomaniaRussia & C.I.S.SpainTurkeyUkraineUnited KingdomGeneral Europe Forum Latin America Forums----------------ArgentinaBrazilChileColombiaCosta RicaMexicoMexico (off-topic)PeruGeneral Latin America Forum The Middle East Forums----------------BahrainEgyptIsraelKuwaitOmanQatarSaudi ArabiaUnited Arab EmiratesGeneral Middle East Forum North America Forums----------------General North America Forum Oceania----------------Australia/New Zealand You cannot post new topics in this forumYou cannot reply to topics in this forumYou cannot edit your posts in this forumYou cannot delete your posts in this forumYou cannot vote in polls in this forum This page is maintained by the one and only Dave Sperling. Contact Dave's ESL Cafe Copyright © 2018 Dave Sperling. All Rights Reserved. Powered by phpBB © 2001, 2002 phpBB Group Teaching Jobs in China


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Published 3:25 p.m. ET -- What do rocker Ted Nugent, Apple CEO Tim Cook, singer Tony Bennett, Mohawk-coiffed NASA staffer Bobak Ferdowski, and a 103-year old Florida woman have in common? They're all going to be among the members of Congress and other Washington dignitaries for tonight's State of the Union address. They, and many other related guests, may seem like an eclectic bunch but they're all invited for a purpose.
Together, those guests form a diverse group of Americans who together paint a portrait of a nation in flux: victims of gun violence, undocumented immigrants, veterans of the war in Afghanistan, and the corporate executives and small-business owners who represent the strong economic future the president must outline in his speech.
Chip Somodevilla / Getty Images
Singer Tony Bennett will attend the State of the Union as a guest of House Minority Leader Nancy Pelosi.
Twenty members of Congress have organized an effort to include almost two dozen victims of gun violence and their families at the Capitol for President Obama's annual address. Former Rep. Gabrielle Giffords of Arizona, who was shot in January 2011 during a constituent meeting in her district, and her husband, Mark Kelly, also will attend the speech as guests of Rep. Ron Barber, D-Ariz., and Sen. John McCain, R-Ariz. The parents of slain Chicago teen Hadiya Pendleton will attend the State of Union as guests of first lady Michelle Obama.
RELATED: Two charged with murder in Hadiya Pendleton shooting
Curbing gun violence sprang to the top of the administration's agenda following a string of mass shootings. There was the tragedy at Sandy Hook Elementary in Newtown, Conn., the movie theater shooting in Aurora, Colo., and the attack on a Sikh temple in Oak Creek, Wisc., among others. The president has pushed for new gun control measures, including universal background checks and an assault weapons ban. The latter faces a particularly steep uphill fight in Congress, though Obama has maintained his resolve. Such a ban "deserves a vote in Congress because weapons of war have no place on our streets or in our schools or threatening our law enforcement officers," he told an audience in Minneapolis earlier this month.
Sitting in likely opposition to this gun control push: Nugent. The rocker will be the guest of Texas Congressman Steve Stockman. Nugent landed in hot water with the Secret Service in April 2012 when he declared at a national NRA meeting that if Obama was re-elected, "I will either be dead or in jail by this time next year."
Kevin Tighe / Getty Images Contributor
Ted Nugent performs at Ruth Eckerd Hall on August 6, 2012 in Tampa, Florida.
RELATED: Gun control advocates use State of the Union to highlight their cause
Sweeping immigration reform, a promise of Obama's in his 2008 campaign, eluded the president in his first term, culminating in the Senate's late 2010 failure to pass the DREAM Act. A year and a half later, the Obama administration made waves in announcing an executive order to halt the deportation of illegal immigrants who were brought to the United States as children. The president renewed his focus on reform earlier this year following the Senate's construction of new legislative framework for an immigration policy overhaul.
Sitting in the audience tonight will be 20-year-old Alan Aleman, a DREAM Act activist and student at the College of Southern Nevada who was one of his state's first undocumented immigrants to receive a work permit under deferred action. Several congressional leaders including Sen. Mark Warner, D-Va., Rep. Marc Veasey, D-Texas and Rep. Luis Gutierrez, D-Ill., have also extended invitations to those who have been touched by the immigration issue.
RELATED: State of the Union's special guests: undocumented immigrants
But one of Obama's top priorities is economic growth. More than seven in 10 Americans remain dissatisfied with the current state of the economy, according to a recent NBC News/WSJ poll. But in attendance tonight will be examples of prosperity from across the socio-economic spectrum: small-business owners like brewery owner Deb Carey of Wisconsin, and corporate executives like Apple's Cook and ECCO Select CEO Jeanette Hernandez-Prenger, an invitee of House Speaker John Boehner.
Also in attendance tonight will be those who have argued for increased civil rights and protections. Guests include Amanda McMillan, who won a gender discrimination case she filed against her former employer; Desiline Victor, the 103-year old Florida woman who waited in line for hours to vote; and Tracy Hepner, the co-founder of a group that supports LGBT military partners and their families.
Damian Dovarganes / AP file
Bobak Ferdowsi, a flight director for the Mars rover Curiosity, works at his computer at the Surface Mission Support Area, at NASA's JPL in Pasadena, Calif. Known to the Twitterverse and the president of the United States as "Mohawk Guy," Bobak Ferdowski could be the changing face of NASA and all of geekdom.
Also to be seated in the first lady's section are Sgt. Carlos Evans, a combat veteran who sustained injuries in Afghanistan, and Sgt. Sheena Adams, a recipient of the Combat Action Ribbon for her completion of leadership and deployment last year. The president is expected to announce during his address tonight that 34,000 of the 66,000 U.S. troops currently in Afghanistan will return home within the year, according to a senior administration official.
And last but not least, there's NASA's "Mohawk Guy." Ferdowsi, also a guest of the first lady, will serve to draw attention to the president's calls for visas for technology-trained immigrants. Ferdowsi is the Iranian-American who helped guide the Curiosity rover on Mars.
RELATED: NASA's 'Mohawk Guy' will sit with first lady at State of Union


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WASHINGTON—By extending and improving trade preferences for Haiti, Congress "will send a clear signal that the United States is prepared to take the necessary steps to improve the lives of thousands of Haitians both in the short-term and in the long-term," said Bishop Howard J. Hubbard of Albany, N.Y. In a May 4 letter, Bishop Hubbard, Chairman of the U.S. Bishops' Committee on International Justice and Peace, thanked the sponsors of the Haiti Economic Lift Program Act of 2010 for introducing the bill (HR 5160 and S 3275) and called on the House and Senate to move swiftly to approve the legislation.
In an earlier letter to the Administration, Bishop Hubbard argued that Haiti should have an integrated strategy to help Haiti recover. International assistance and debt relief are needed, but alone are not enough. "A critically important part of the integrated strategy we recommended was the extension and improvement of the trade preference levels (TPLs) that Haiti was granted through the Haitian Hemispheric Opportunity through Partnership Encouragement Acts (HOPE I and HOPE II), which our Conference strongly supported," Bishop Hubbard wrote. This bill "will give investors and retailers a clear signal that the United States has a strong commitment to help Haiti recover and rebuild, especially the Haitian economy, in the long-term." Bishop Hubbard added: "The light manufacturing sector was not as damaged as other parts of Port-au-Prince during the earthquake and thus could generate desperately needed employment. Thousands of jobs will be quickly created in Haiti if this legislation passes."
The letter from Bishop Hubbard can be found online at:www.usccb.org/sdwp/international/2010-05-04-ltr-senate-USCCB-CRS-support-haiti-s3275.pdf
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sponsoring organizations.


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Work on the Nute Road bridge over the Bellamy River will begin the first week of October. At their September 24 meeting, the selectmen authorized the $106,400 "slab over top" project, following CMS's Senior Structural Engineer's presentation.
While CMA's Memorandum summarized two alternatives, engineer Jason Gallant recommended the "slab over top" which, while costing about $3,000 less, "can be built faster." It also is deemed to predict the least environmental impacts and has minimal reliance on the existing structure, whose degree of deterioration cannot yet be determined, according to the Memorandum.
The project is expected to meet the 15-year criteria deemed reasonable. "Slab over top" means that a slab with shallow concrete abutments will be placed just beneath the roadway surface. The memo notes that the "work can be completed using conventional construction techniques."
This will allow the town to have Arthur Hartford, who does the town's road work, begin almosr immediately, no bidding being called for. Jay Moriarty remarked that the selectmen "feel a serious obliation to get this project done...since the closing of the bridge has left a number of residents stranded."
On Sept 19 the Planning board accepted an application for an Infant and Toddler Montessori-based Education Center which would be housed in the Shaheen property on Route 108.
Sarah and David Greenshields' plan would involve about fifty children up to 3 years of age. Up to 12 teachers could be on the premises, along with interns from the University of New Hampshire and Community College students, according to the prospectus. The principals also indicated that the facility would be available, off hours, free of charge, to professionals in the Seacoast who are involved with child-care. They stressed their desire to become part of the community.
After vetting the application, the board gave the applicants a list of eleven issues which need to be clarified. The board also indicated that since the plan involves some enlargement of the building, the plan would need to go before the Zoning Board of Adjustment. (The building is a grandfathered commercial use in the Residential/Agricultural zone.) The hearing was continued to Oct. 17.)
Joann Johnson of 18 Freshet road was given the final OK to create two lots from her 9 acres. Although only 600 square feet of the land in contention is in Madbury, the remainder being in Dover, she was required to get approval from boards in both municipalities.
There were no issues with the plan other than those geographical, Abutters wrote in favor of the plan. Part of each new lot will be in conservation, according to Johnson.
The hearing on Chuck Goss' plan for two lots off Cherry Lane was reset again, to Oct. 17.
The board spent quite a bit of time discussing the plan for the paving of the entrance to Old Stage Campground, which traverses 600 feet over a right-of-way. The issue came about because of conditions the board stipulated when changes were made to the campground a couple years ago.
Since the right-of-way is just 20 feet wide, the board moved that the paving should be 18 feet, leaving one-foot shoulders. Beyond the right-of-way, the campground owners are free to pave the roadway however they wish.
Meeting on Sept. 18, the Zoning Board of Adjustment moved the hearing for the proposed assisted living facility on Knox Marsh Road ahead to October 16, 7 p.m. in the Town Hall.
On Oct. 9 the Madbury Historical Society will host a New Hampshire Humanities Council program entitled "Vanished Veterans - New Hampshire's Civil War Monuments and Memorials."
While New Hampshire did not erect monuments for prior wars, it did so for the Civil War. George Morrison of Bow, who has located, inventoried and photographed the N.H. Civil War memorials, will share his research at this meeting, to be held in the Town Hall beginning at 7 p.m. All are welcome.
Work begins soon on Nute Road bridge
Work on the Nute Road bridge over the Bellamy River will begin the first week of October. At their September 24 meeting, the selectmen authorized the $106,400 "slab over top" project, following CMS's Senior Structural Engineer's presentation.


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Do Blue-Blocking Lenses Block Blue Colour From Our Lives?
|The safety and scientific validity of this study is the responsibility of the study sponsor and investigators. Listing a study does not mean it has been evaluated by the U.S. Federal Government. Read our disclaimer for details.
|ClinicalTrials.gov Identifier: NCT00403143
Recruitment Status : Unknown
Verified May 2007 by London North West Healthcare NHS Trust.
Recruitment status was: Recruiting
First Posted : November 23, 2006
Last Update Posted : May 14, 2007
- Study Details
- Tabular View
- No Results Posted
- Disclaimer
- How to Read a Study Record
|Condition or disease
|Procedure: cataract surgery
|Not Applicable
As we all age, the natural lens inside our eyes becomes denser, hazy and more yellow in colour. In other words, cataracts develop. In order to enable clear vision again, cataract surgery is performed. This involves removing the natural lens from the eye and replacing it with a synthetic lens implant inside the eye. Cataract surgery with insertion of a lens implant was first done in 1948 but didn't become routine until the early 1980s. Around this time, awareness about the harmful effects of UV light were raised and by 1986, lens implants routinely had a UV filter incorporated into them.1 As early as 1992, a study examining patients who had had a high occupational exposure to blue and visible light, concluded that there is a positive association between long term exposure to visible light and age related wear and tear change at the back of the eye, termed age related macular degeneration (AMD).2 This theory was supported by several studies which have reported an increased rate of progression of AMD in patients after cataract surgery with a clear lens implant (It is known that clear lens implants transmit more blue light to the back of the eye compared with the natural aging lens).3 Laboratory studies in 2000 showed that blue light causes damage to aging retinal cells (the nerve cells at the back of the eye which are important in enabling us to see), more so than green light or white light.4 Experimental studies with rats also showed that exposure to blue light was 30 times more damaging to retinal cells compared with yellow light.5 A further laboratory study in 2004 confirmed that by protecting aging retinal cells with a blue light filtering lens, damage caused by blue light is prevented.6 Yellow tinted, blue light filtering lens implants have been in production since 1991, first by Hoya in Tokyo and now by Alcon as well. Alcon produce the Acrysof Natural lens implant which has been designed to mimic the 53 year old natural lens and which received FDA and CE approval in 2003. To date, over 2 million of these lenses have been implanted in patients world wide.7 Although these lens implants are sometimes used in patients having cataract surgery in the UK, this is not yet routine. One of the concerns about them is whether or not they limit colour vision in any way. There have been some studies examining this and so far, none of them have found a statistically significant difference in the colour vision between patients with non-tinted lens implants and blue-filtering lens implants.8,9,10 However, none of the studies thus far, have employed colour vision testing with an anomaloscope (which is considered to be the gold standard colour vision test).11 In addition, none of them have taken into account the level of capsular opacification (the capsule is a cling film bag-like structure that supports the lens implant inside the eye and can over a period of time, become thickened and hazy following cataract surgery) and the level of macular pigment (yellow pigment which we have on the centre part of the back of our eyes which is thought to contribute towards filtering blue light) in patients' eyes.
Age related macular degeneration is already the commonest cause of blindness in the UK. It is a growing problem, particularly with our aging population and increasing levels of ambient light which we are exposed to in our daily lives. Although the evidence is strongly in favour of filtering blue light and the need for protective measures against AMD are pressing, we need to be satisfied that there are no adverse effects of blocking blue from our lives.
|Study Type :
|Interventional (Clinical Trial)
|Estimated Enrollment :
|40 participants
|Intervention Model:
|Parallel Assignment
|Primary Purpose:
|Official Title:
|Do Blue-Blocking Lenses Block Colour From Our Lives? A Randomised Controlled Study Measuring Colour Vision Using the Gold Standard Colour Vision Test (an Anomaloscope)in Patients With Blue Light Filtering Intraocular Lenses (Tinted Yellow) and Comparing This With Patients Inserted With Clear, Non Blue Light Filtering Intraocular Lenses During Cataract Surgery
|Study Start Date :
|October 2006
- To objectively determine whether colour vision is reduced with a blue-light filtering
- intraocular lens compared with a colourless intraocular implant in cataract surgery
- To determine whether patients subjectively are able to tell whether they have been
- implanted with yellow tinted intraocular lens during their cataract surgery or colourless one
Choosing to participate in a study is an important personal decision. Talk with your doctor and family members or friends about deciding to join a study. To learn more about this study, you or your doctor may contact the study research staff using the contacts provided below. For general information, Learn About Clinical Studies.
|Ages Eligible for Study:
|18 Years and older (Adult, Older Adult)
|Sexes Eligible for Study:
|Accepts Healthy Volunteers:
Inclusion Criteria:
- patients who have had uncomplicated cataract surgery in one eye and have a cataract in the other eye
- patients who are over 18 years of age
- patients who are fully able to independently give consent to have surgery
Exclusion Criteria:
- patients who have any other ocular co-morbidity that may account for reduction in vision in either eye (as this may confound the condition)
- patients who are colour blind
- patients who suffered previous post-operative complications
- patients under 18
To learn more about this study, you or your doctor may contact the study research staff using the contact information provided by the sponsor.
Please refer to this study by its ClinicalTrials.gov identifier (NCT number): NCT00403143
|Contact: Amynah Goawalla, BSc, MBBS MRCOphth
|020 963 ext 7130
|United Kingdom
|North West London Hospitals NHS Trust
|London, United Kingdom, NW10 7NS
|Contact: Alan Warnes, PhD 020 8869 ext 2011 email@example.com
|Contact: Iva Hauptmannova, BSc MA 020 8869 ext 5286 firstname.lastname@example.com
|Principal Investigator: Gillian Vafidis, MA FRCS FRCOphth
|Sub-Investigator: Amynah Goawalla, BSc MBBS MRCOphth
|Study Director:
|Gillian Vafidis, MA FRCS FRCOphth
|London North West Healthcare NHS Trust
|ClinicalTrials.gov Identifier:
|Other Study ID Numbers:
|First Posted:
|November 23, 2006 Key Record Dates
|Last Update Posted:
|May 14, 2007
|Last Verified:
|May 2007
intraocular lens, colour vision, blue-light filtering
Vision Disorders
Sensation Disorders
Neurologic Manifestations
Nervous System Diseases
Eye Diseases
Signs and Symptoms


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This is what "Bradley" and his defence team if lawyers are willing to concede in military court as established and irrefutable, uncontested fact.
His defence team is formally acknowledging as a statement of fact that during Operation Neptune Spear on 2 May 2011, the US acquired documents from UBL's computer establishing that UBL had requested and received DoD data disclosed by Manning to Assange and posted to Wikileaks, making them public domain.
That's one thing.
This may or may not be true - parts of it may be true, more than likely little or none of it is.
That's fine.
It's a fairly stupid and incriminating act for a lawyer and defendant to put their name to a signed document agreeing to the fact that all of these things are true and they accept them without having been there and witnessing the recovery firsthand, but that's fine.
That's point two of the statement of fact.
Manning is formally and legally acknowledging that from his point of view, this is true.
The problem is point one in the formal statement of fact.
The problem is this.
This isn't true, everyone knows it isn't true, no part of it is true and it's all clearly and completely proven to be untrue.
Here, Bradley Manning and his lawyers are signing a formal admission to the court, for public consumption, putting their names and endorsement in support of the assertion that it IS true, and is indeed an established and agreed upon matter of fact.
It really isn't.
It's a completely lie.
And "Bradley Manning" is signing totally incriminating formal court declarations supportive of the quite ludicrous notion that not only is it true, it's indisputable and uncontroversial.
All of which is ludicrous if he's actually attempting to defend and justify his actions and avoid punishment.
Which he quite clearly isn't. He's doing the opposite.
But why? Let's deconstruct what he's actually accused of doing:-
People say this is like the Pentagon Papers and Daniel Ellsberg.
It isn't.
What Ellsberg leaked was a historical report, an internal, comprehensive history of the Vietnam war through to 1969.
It was old information, it was an archival research study intended for reference, he self-censored it before leaking it and all of it was classified below Top Secret.
The reason this is an important distinction to make is that Ellsberg DID have access to Top Secret material - and he didn't leak it.
He still hasn't, and won't to this day. He leaked classified and sensitive materials, but nothing judged to be injurious to national security.
No one has ever leaked and published such Top,Secret material because even in civilian court, that's an offence punishable by 30 years to Life.
There have been espionage cases where people have stolen Top Secret material and sold it or given it to a foreign power, but they have never published it in bulk.
"Manning" didn't self-censor or edit what he gave to Wikileaks to gauge its sensitivity and appropriateness to be made public - Wikileaks did, applying their own arbitrary measure of editorial control on the material.
But all the stuff they didn't publish - which is a lot more - they still have. They may have kept it, they may have sold it. But they still have it.
Manning allegedly (and neither he nor his advocates dispute this) just gave a bunch of Top Secret information to man from another country he had never met.
That's precisely what people in the armed forces are supposed never to do. Because its treason.
And yet he STILL isn't YET in the stockade at Fort Mead.... Now, years later after the fact...Surely to most obvious explanation being overlooked for this glaring incongruity is:
He Didn't Do This.
And None of This is True.Hear me out here,
The first point is this : if what he and his defence are saying is true, and that is his defence, then he doesn't have a defence.
He goes to jail, and he goes today, end of story.
The Uniform Code of Military Justice does not have a whilstleblower defence for the disclosure of Top Secret material to foreign nationals.
The second point is this: we KNOW that Julian Assange is an intelligence front.He's not a leaker and he's not an activist.
He's a fraud.
So, you have to ask the question : if Assange is a fraud, and they know he's a fraud as surely they must, the suspicion has to be raised - is the guy accused of leaking stuff to him also a fraud?
Look at it objectively - are they handling his military trial by the book or are they doing odd things and deviating conspicuously from established operating proceedures?
Answer: Yes, they are.Is it really reasonable to believe that any serving member of the US Military would really disclose mass bulk Top Secret information to a silver-haired Aussie weirdo with questionable bedroom manners just on a whim?
And is it reasonable to accept that such a person is still not in jail for doing so?
He should have been jailed within days.
Here we are years later, with no end in sight.
This is Theatre.


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David Beckham to play last game with LA Galaxy
David Beckham has spent the past six seasons with the Galaxy, leading Los Angeles to an MLS Cup title last season when they defeated the Houston Dynamo 1-0.
Football legend David Beckham says he will play his final game with the Los Angeles Galaxy when the Major League Soccer club hosts Houston in the league championship early next month.
The 37-year-old former England captain and veteran of three World Cups did not mention anything about retiring from the sport.
"I've had an incredibly special time playing for the LA Galaxy. However, I wanted to experience one last challenge before the end of my playing career," Beckham said in a news release on Monday.
Beckham has scheduled a news conference in Los Angeles for Tuesday.
The football superstar has spent the past six seasons with the Galaxy, leading Los Angeles to an MLS Cup title last season when they defeated the Houston Dynamo 1-0.
Beckham and the Galaxy go for their second consecutive crown when they face the Dynamo in a repeat of last year's final on December 1 at the Home Depot Center.
Beckham said in a statement released by the team that the game would be his last for the Galaxy, as he hopes to move on and eventually become a part-owner of an MLS team in the future.
"I don't see this as the end of my relationship with the league as my ambition is to be part of the ownership structure in the future," he said.
Beckham did not go into specifics about what he meant by "one last challenge" or what he plans to do next.
There were reports out of Australia last week that their professional league is trying to woo him to make a move down under. There has also been strong interest from European clubs.
"In my time here I have seen the popularity of the game grow every year," Beckham said.
"I've been fortunate to win trophies, but more important to me has been the fantastic reception I've had from fans in LA and across the states. Soccer's potential has no limits in this wonderful country, and I want to always be part of growing it."
This is Beckham's "final competitive game with the Galaxy," said Galaxy spokesman Justin Pearson on Monday.
Pearson said he didn't know what Beckham would say on Tuesday.
"He said what he said," Pearson replied. "It will be discussed tomorrow. Whether or not answers are there is unknown."
Beckham has appeared in 115 contests for England, scoring 17 goals while captaining the side on more than 50 occasions.
He captured a half dozen Premier League titles during a sensational 12-year career at Manchester United that also saw him win the FA Cup twice and the 1999 UEFA Champions League title.
In July 2003, Beckham signed with Real Madrid, helping them to the 2006-07 La Liga title. He joined the Galaxy the next year, debuting in a friendly against Chelsea at the Home Depot Center.
"Seldom does an athlete redefine a sport," said Tim Leiweke, the president of Galaxy owners Anschutz Entertainment Group. "David not only took our franchise to another level, but he took our sport to another level It has been an honor and privilege to be a part of his world, and more importantly, to have him be a part of ours."
Beckham helped grow the sport in the United States, but his time in southern California has not been without controversy.
He has had run-ins with fans before. His loans to European teams, which caused him to miss parts of MLS seasons, angered some Los Angeles fans who displayed their dislike with signs at games that said "Go home fraud," and "Part time player."
Beckham's name also caused a stir earlier this month in New Zealand where Prime Minister John Key reportedly joked that Beckham was as "thick as bat shit."
The New Zealand Herald reported that Key made the comments to a group of students at the St Hilda's Collegiate at the South Island town of Dunedin.


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Health care tax credits available for some small businesses
Comptroller takes initiative to Anne Arundel County
The state comptroller rolled out on Thursday a new phase of his statewide initiative to help small businesses get health care tax credits.
The effort began over the summer as a pilot program targeting small businesses in Howard County. The comptroller's office has teamed up with the Maryland Health Care For All Coalition to get the word out.
This time, the comptroller's office sent 5,000 letters to small businesses in Anne Arundel County, informing them of a federal tax credit that would average out to be as much as $847 per worker in Maryland.
The government shutdown pulled the plug and $1,000 out of the pocket of Jamaal Lee, a Laurel businessman who owns a production company. He provides video, audio and lighting for concerts and special events. The Smithsonian canceled an event Lee's company was involved in.
"It's a tough time in the economy right now," Lee said.
Lee recently got some good news when he received a letter from the state comptroller's office detailing how to take advantage of a business tax credit under the Affordable Care Act to help him offset the cost of health insurance. Eligible businesses must have 25 employees or fewer.
"We didn't have coverage, and we were having issues with coverage because it was too expensive, but we have the Affordable Care Act, which is in place now and we have full coverage," Lee said.
According to the comptroller's office, the tax credit is worth 35 percent of the business health insurance premium costs. It goes up to 50 percent in 2014.
The average salary for full-time equivalent employees must be less than $50,000. Businesses with fewer than 10 employees and an average salary of less than $25,000 will get the biggest tax credit.
Businesses can claim the credit for the year 2012 in their annual tax returns. Businesses can also retroactively claim the credit by filling out an amended tax return.
"It's completely confidential. It is great way for us to communicate important information," Comptroller Peter Franchot said.
"This is one of the first places, if not the first place in the country, where letters like this are being sent, and we know they are having an impact. Small businesses are finding out about these tax credits," said Vincent DeMarco, president of the Maryland Health Care For All Coalition.
"Having healthy staff members is really critical to having a healthy bottom line," Anne Arundel County Acting Health Officer Dr. Jinlene Chan said.
The comptroller's office estimates some 110,000 businesses in Maryland qualify for this federal tax credit. The goal is to take the outreach statewide and to encourage other states to use Maryland as an example.


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The Daily Word in minimum wage, cardboard bikes and Bob Dylan
State Supreme Court orders minimum wage increase back on the November ballot.
There's a zip line at the Fair this year—and tigers.
Way to go, N.M. organ donors!
Santa Fe's politicians call for a meeting with Zozobra organizers, saying the event should be more family-friendly.
Slinky blows physics' mind.
The man who made the anti-Islam film causing violent protests throughout the Middle East is a 55-year-old former criminal and Coptic Christian in California, according to the Associated Press.
Protesters storm the U.S. Embassy in Yemen.
An actor from that anti-Islam film says she had no idea they were staring in a propaganda flick.
Meet the $9 recycled cardboard bike that can support a 485-pound rider.
Monica Lewinsky is writing a book, maybe.
"Wussies and pussies complain about that stuff," says Bob Dylan in response to accusations that he's plagiarized some of his material.
How to: Turn your wall into a projector screen for $50.
31 rad DIY projects.
The first 1,000 digits of Pi skywritten over San Francisco.
Hobby Lobby doesn't want the Affordable Care Act to make it cover birth control for employees.


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Man, talk about your Hero Dirt. There's a certain lake/reservoir in the Calaveras foothills that is in primo shape these days, and with trails being added constantly, it's easy to get twisted around. I've been riding there for 20 years, and got lost several times Sunday. 'Course, the safety break didn't help. :^D *exhale, coff coff* Many, many riders up there over the weekend, more & more people are coming to appreciate the excellence of the trails there in winter weather. As Uncle Stinky noted in his post, lots of riders from all over: Modesto, Lodi, Stockton, Oakdale, Arnold, Patterson & more. If you haven't been to Hogan for a while, or, like, never, you gotta get up there. I know it's a haul for some, but hey, I've been driving hours to get to trailheads for years, now it's someone else's turn!
Anyhoo, I went out Saturday with my focus on doing something with the bottom of Nate's Trail, as it was a great section of downhill trail goodness with a rather disappointing finale, petering out into a skull-strewn streambed for a few hundred yards before joining the existing lower trail. Rather a letdown, I thought. So, I rode to the top of Brian's switchbacks to pick up my HulaHoe (Registered Trademark), taped it to my bike and jangled back to Nate's to complete the job.
The gully lent itself to gentle back & forth swaths through the manzanita & soft dirt (I know, right? The rains we've been having really loosened up the rich soil), so I got to work. After a bit, Jeff joined me, and together we plotted out where the trail was going and got back to it. Several hours later, we were done, and we stood back & admired our efforts. A swooping trail now completed Nate's, and with a heinous little ending dropping you onto the lower trail, I suggested we name the new section Happy Ending (me love you lonnnnng time!)
I talked Jeff into pushing his bike to the top of Nate's to ride down the whole thing, hoping he would christen the whole trail with a (hopefully) uninterrupted ride down to the bottom. I ran after him with my camera, getting it all on film (albeit a herky, bouncing video), but little did I know that when we did get to the bottom, there would be blood. If you haven't ridden Nate's (and many have gazed over the precipes in awe, but declined to ride it) you might know that there are quite a few scary bits that will make your nutsack crawl back into their cave. Nice job riding it, Jeff. Not bad for an old dude.
- Home


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NORTHWOOD — Town residents will have a chance Thursday to make amendments to the school budget and warrant articles proposed for next year.
The School District deliberative session is scheduled for 7 p.m. at the Northwood School, located at 511 First New Hampshire Turnpike.
The school operating budget recommended by the town's Budget Committee is $11,948,333, and while it's $427,008 less than what the School Board had proposed, the Budget Committee has the final vote on budget amounts that come before the deliberative session, according to Town Administrator Brent Lemire.
If the Budget Committee recommendation is approved, the school operating budget will increase by $69,250 over the current year's budget.
According to information provided by School Board Chairman Chris Andrews on behalf of the School Board, the amount the district will have to pay next year for contractual obligations is expected to increase by more than $329,385, and with the Budget Committee's recommended budget, several school programs may have to be cut.
These contractual increases include costs pertaining to retirement contributions, health insurance contributions, increased annual tuition for Coe-Brown Academy, and costs for SAU 44 preschool.
If the Northwood School has to operate with the budget recommended by the Budget Committee, rather than the School Board, some certified teaching positions at the school may need to be eliminated or reduced, leading to larger class sizes, according to information provided by Andrews. Other cuts may be seen in high school transportation, athletics, world language classes, extracurricular clubs, as well as music, art and drama programs.
During Thursday's deliberative session, residents will have a chance to make a motion to change the fiscal amount proposed by warrant articles recommended by the Budget Committee.
If residents in March vote "no" on the operating budget proposed on the ballot, a default budget of $12,206,535 will be implemented for next year. The default budget is the same as last year, with adjustments made due to contractual obligations or previous action taken by the School Board or law.
Also on the ballot are the negotiated agreements with the Northwood School District teachers and support staff.
Article 4 asks voters to approve a three-year contract with the Northwood Educational Support Personnel Association (NESPA). The contract, if approved, will cost about $34,261 next fiscal year; $38,385 in fiscal year 2014-2015; and $39,202 in fiscal year 2015-2016.
The negotiated agreement with the Northwood Teachers' Association, if approved by voters in March, will cost about $288,147 next year; $99,657 in fiscal year 2014-2015; and $108,580 in fiscal year 2015-2016.
A citizen petition article also asks voters to implement a tax cap for the School District, so that the governing body is prohibited from recommending an operating budget that exceeds the prior fiscal year's budget by more than 2 percent.
This year's warrant also asks residents to appropriate $34,569 for new security equipment at the Northwood School.
Voters are also asked to contribute $95,388 toward purchasing new technology equipment for Northwood School.
Residents will also take a vote on whether to require the estimated tax rate impact to appear next to warrant articles in future years.
After Thursday's deliberative session, residents will take a final vote on the budget and warrant articles on Tuesday, March 12.


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The Lion King (Genesis)
Published by
Developed by
Also For
Not an American user?
DescriptionYoung Simba just can't wait to be king. His father is the current King of the Savannah and the young prince is able to frolic the lands at will; jumping on and around other subjects of this animal kingdom. When Simba's father, King Mufasa, is killed and his evil brother Scar takes over the kingdom, Simba is banished from the lands of his birthright and has to grow up fast, honing his skills, for the day of his return.
The Lion King, based on the famous Disney movie, is a platform game where you control Simba - initially as a young cub, and later as an adult lion. The plot of the game follows the plot of the movie. Each of the levels represents a part of the movie.
As young Simba, you can fight various beasts, such as lizards, by jumping on them. You can also roar to scare some creatures into submission, though every time you roar, you have to wait for your "roar meter" to charge.
As an adult lion, you can still roar and jump, but now you fight enemies by slashing at them with your claws (if you're skillful enough, you can also grab them and toss them off the screen).
The game features no in-game save function, and it needs to be replayed from the beginning every time.
Promo Images
Alternate Titles
- "O Rei Leão" -- Brazilian SNES title
- "Le Roi Lion" -- French title
- "El Rey Leon" -- Spanish title
- "Der König der Löwen" -- German title
- "ライオンキング" -- Japanese spelling
Part of the Following Groups
- Animals: Cats
- Disney's The Lion King licensees
- Genre: Hop and Bop Platformer
- Inspiration: Movies
- Setting: African
- Walt Disney games
User Reviews
There are no reviews for the Genesis release of this game. You can use the links below to write your own review or read reviews for the other platforms of this game.
Critic Reviews
|Player One
|Nov, 1994
|95 out of 100
|Jul 17, 2006
|9 out of 10
|Mean Machines
|Dec, 1994
|87 out of 100
|Play Time
|Dec, 1994
|84 out of 100
|SEGA-Mag (Objectif-SEGA)
|Apr 27, 2008
|8 out of 10
|Electronic Gaming Monthly (EGM)
|Nov, 1994
|40 out of 50
|Sega Force
|Oct 19, 1994
|80 out of 100
|Jan 19, 2010
|16 out of 20
|Video Games
|Dec, 1994
|79 out of 100
|Video Games & Computer Entertainment
|Dec, 1994
|7 out of 10
|# Posts
|Last Post
|Shouldn't there be a "Disney's" in the title?
|Rwolf (17448)
Oct 04, 2016
|Some cheats not working
|Nowhere Girl (6448)
Jul 16, 2013
DirectXThe Windows version of The Lion King was the inspiration for DirectX. It was released with a large line of Compaq computers, but then the system specs were changed at the last minute. The game ceased to work on the computers after the change. To prevent this from happening in the future, Microsoft created DirectX so that applications could run on any computer.
Version differencesDue to size limitation, the Amiga version has only seven levels compared to the ten-levels DOS version. The missing levels are Level 2 (Can't Wait to be King), Level 6 (Hakuna Matata), Level 9 (Simba's Return) and both bonus stages.
- Amiga Joker
- Issue 02/1996 – #2 Best Dexterity Game in 1995 (Readers' Vote)
- GameFan
- Vol 3, Iss. 1 - Movie to Game Translation of the Year 1994
- Game Players
- January 1995 - Best Genesis Game in 1994
- January 1995 - Best Genesis Action Game in 1994
Related Web Sites
- "Devs Play" S01E01 · The Lion King (Double Fine's Greg Rice is joined by Louis Castle, co-founder of Westwood Studios, for a full play-through of the Genesis version of The Lion King.)
Syed GJ (1578) added The Lion King (Genesis) on Jun 06, 2002
Other platforms contributed by POMAH (60862), Corn Popper (69153), Luiz Pacheco (1305), Kam1Kaz3NL77 (267913), chirinea (46523) and Martin Smith (67976)
Credits (141 people)
121 developers, 20 thanks
Creative Director/Producer:


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To Allan Alfafara, and as it may concern other fellow genealogists
As a fellow family tree maker, i admire that you are trying to continue what Ondò Tagimacruz, Celestino Alfafara, Leilani Que and the other previous Alfafara tree makers had accomplished — and urge you on. But from data I'd gathered for myself, I'm afraid anyone will just hit a wall trying to trace back this Jorge Alfafara-Iska Ybañez parentage for Timoteo Alfafara. I had voiced this same concern on the other post or page or thread on this blog, in case you just missed it.
I was trying to tell you that it is more likely that Jorge Alfafara-Iska Ybañez did not exist at all and their appearance on that family tree may just have been the result of a faulty memory. So, I instead raised the names of the couple Jorge Caballero-Francisca Tangarorang — who really existed — to you, as I had previously to others, as the possible reasons for the mixup in the names: notice the same first names for both couples?
What I can say with absolute certainty though is that Timoteo Alfafara, the father of the lines you mentioned, is not a son of any Jorge Alfafara as you point out. I think I also explained this to correspondent Shirley Edillon in one of the threads. If you trace my other Alfafara family tree (Laurente), Timoteo was instead the son of Luisa Alfafara, granddaughter of Laurente, as she was the daughter of Martin Alfafara and his wife Leonora Alvarado. Per record of Timoteo's baptism, his father was a padre no conocido. However, Timoteo seems to have used the middle initial "Y" and that may be for his father and would be a good lead to follow, although even if you do get an acceptable find, it may be a hollow one except as a footnote because there is little way now to declare that parentage as absolute fact, except with a DNA test result.
Also, sequence of the children of Timoteo-Prisca Tangarorang Caballero: Ramona, Apolonia, Felicidad, Lorenzo, Mamerto, Gerardo, Narciso and Dativa.
Shirley Edillon's family, she who i mentioned above, also belongs to the line of Luisa and her subsequent husband, Ysidoro (or Isidro) Alcuesar (the surname is now universally spelled as Alcuizar) and of one of their daughters who married an Edillon. That daughter is a half-sister of Timoteo.
Luisa had another son, Luis Alfafara, four years after Timoteo, maybe to the same or to another padre no conocido. Anybody can share with us anything about Luis? Luisa married Ysidoro a year after Luis's birth. [15-Aug-2011: It seems Luis was a natural son of Ysidoro Alcuesar and the subsequent marriage of his parents a year and a month after his birth, legitimated his birth and the use of the surname Alcuesar, with which name, Luis Alcuesar, he was recorded in his Burial in 1901.]
Anyway, I do hope this will clear the main issue which might be holding up your quest.


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State Assemblymember Hector De La Torre and other legislators have put together a package of legislation that seeks to prevent other cities from adopting the scandalously high salaries and benefits recently discovered in the Southern California city of Bell.
At one level, the package makes sense. There would be new sanctions on council members who give themselves high salaries. All raises, with a loophole for cost of living raises that could be exploited, would require a public vote by a legislative body. And there's modest legislation that requires the salaries of all local and state offiicals to be posted on their office's web site. (Why modest? Because it's limited to elected and appointed officials. The real protection involves posting the salary of every public employee, with their name, on the Internet).
It's hard to quarrel with any of this, but one wonders: how will this be enforced? The state is in no position to keep an eye on all of California's local governments. It needs citizens, engaged citizens, to be minding the store.
And that sort of engagement is discouraged by California's heavily centralized system of government. Most decisions of consequence -- including how to prevent more Bell-type scandals -- takes place in Sacramento, where officials have a near monopoly on the power to tax (a monopoly that has developed and grown in the three decades since the passage of Prop 13). Local governments have become spending entities, so the only people and groups that watch local governments are interested in spending -- particularly public employee unions. They have little incentive to object to over-the-top spending.
The way to prevent more Bells is to give local governments more power to raise revenues and taxes. In proposing that, the idea is not to have local governments raise more taxes. The idea, instead, is to force business groups and taxpayers to pay more attention to local governments -- since a city council or school board with tax powers is a potential threat to business and taxpayers. Having those kinds of interests engaged in local governments would provide a crucial check on spending -- and make the kind of reforms the legislature is offering truly enforceable.


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Jump-start your Friday with an ample helping of psychedelic, hand-animated weirdness. This trippy one-minute short — titled "The Deep End" — was cooked up by Boston-based experimental animator Jake Fried, who relied on ink, coffee, white-out, and layer-upon-layer of illustrated canvas to create the downright disturbing phantasmagoria featured here.
You'll want to watch this one full-screened, with speakers or headphones on; paired with his choice of ambiguously eldritch sounds, Fried's animation makes for sixty of the most unsettling (albeit totally captivating) seconds we've sat through in some time.


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This week's Reader Submission of the Week: Magnificent Beard.
"A powerful, living, breathing duo that weighs over 300 pounds and can touch the rim of a basketball goal"
One part beard, two part human--Connor Hill and Matt Brinker make up Magnificent Beard, based in Dallas, Texas, they specialize in screenprinting and gig posters. Loving the chicken and wolves prints.
Thanks to Kyle Confehr (Robots Killed My Parents)for the tip off.
And don't forget to keep sending in whatever you've got, always looking for new designs! Email us at email@example.com!


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Authenticity of Ballots and Responsibility for Conducting Recounts
Questions about the authenticity of ballots arose during the 2011 Supreme Court recount process due to holes in some ballot bags, gaps in their closure or issues with security tags. A hole in a ballot bag or a missing security tag is not enough evidence alone to discard the ballots inside. The ability to put a hand into a ballot bag is not by itself evidence of fraud.
Wisconsin's system of counting ballots on Election Night, canvassing votes in the following days, and recounting those votes is designed to ensure an accurate, honest and transparent tabulation and reporting of the people's will at the ballot box, as well as to detect actual fraud.
Election Day Procedures
When most Wisconsin citizens vote on Election Day, they place their marked ballots into an optical scanning device, which records the votes and drops the marked ballots into a locked container.
Before ballots are cast, the optical scan voting device is secured with a tamper evident numbered seal. The seal number is recorded on the Inspectors' Statement by the poll workers. Voting occurs in a public location that anyone other than a candidate may observe while the polls are open. Any member of the public, including a candidate, may be present at the polling place after the polls close.
After the polls close, election workers print out a tape which lists the tabulated vote totals. The poll workers remove the voted ballots and place them into a secured container or bag. The bag is secured using a tamper evident numbered seal. Ballot containers have all potential openings secured in such a manner that no ballot may be removed, nor any ballot added, without visible interference or damage to that ballot container. The seal number is recorded on the Inspectors' Statement and Ballot Container Certificate by the poll workers. Election officials are required to maintain a chain of custody record that documents the movement and location of election ballots from the time of delivery of the ballots to the municipal clerk or board of election commissioners until the destruction of the ballots is authorized under § 7.23 Wis. Stats.
Even if the container or bag is somehow opened later, or if the chain of custody is broken, election officials have the original print-out tape from the machine, as well as the electronic memory device from the machine. This enables election officials to determine the election night vote count.
Recount Procedures
The recount is conducted by the County Boards of Canvassers using procedures specified by state law and the Government Accountability Board. During a recount, the people in charge of recounting the ballots are not the people who handled and counted the ballots on Election Night. If the ballots had been tampered with between the election and the recount, there would be a break in the chain of custody and an unexplained difference in the results. Typically in a recount, there are minor differences due to ballot marking errors by voters or issues encountered with the optical scanners. In this election, 90 percent of the ballots were cast on paper and counted by optical scanners, 5 percent were cast on paper and counted by hand, and 5 percent were cast and tabulated on touch-screen equipment. In this recount, of the 90 percent that were originally counted by voting equipment on Election Night, more than half are being recounted by hand, which results in some ballots being counted that the voting equipment may not have attributed a vote due to ballot irregularity, such as the voter circling the candidate name instead of filling in the oval or arrow.
G.A.B. staff has created an internal review process to check each ward's recount totals against the original canvass totals to look for variances of plus or minus 10 votes. Any ward in which 10 more or 10 fewer votes are reported is flagged by staff for follow-up with the county clerk for an explanation of the reason. So far, we have found no significant, unexplained variances of vote totals. Staff will continue to review Waukesha County's results as they come in each day until the recount is complete.
Certification of the Election
Under state law, the G.A.B. is required to rely on the certifications of the county Boards of Canvassers in making its certification of the final results. If either of the campaigns has unresolved issues with how individual county Boards of Canvassers handled the recounting of certain ballots, their exclusive remedy under state law is through an appeal to the circuit court.
In its certification of election results, the Board Chairperson certifies that the attached tabular statement, as compiled from the certified returns made to the Government Accountability Board by the several counties of the State, contains a correct abstract of the total number of votes given for the election. It also determines and certifies the names of candidates who have received the greatest number of votes, and are duly elected. A certificate of election may not be issued by the Board's Director until the deadline for any appeal has passed.


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SAN JOSE, CALIF - The San Jose Earthquakes U-14 Juniors sit atop their bracket in the US Youth Soccer Far West Regional League after tallying three wins on the opening weekend of play in Morgan Hill, Calif.
The Quakes faced teams from Cal South and Arizona in the opening set of matches and scored 12 goals while allowing only three.
"The focus and intensity of our boys this weekend was excellent," said head coach Jeff Jenkins. "We went into the league with high expectations and the boys delivered a great result by virtue of their commitment to each other and to excellence on and off the field. We enjoyed the result from this weekend's play and we look forward in traveling to Utah for our second set of matches and hopefully earning a playoff berth in Lancaster, Calif. this November."
The Earthquakes Juniors are based in San Jose, Calif. and are composed of players from throughout Northern California. The Quakes are the first youth team of the San Jose Earthquakes and are charged with the mission of developing players for advancement within the Earthquakes' youth organization.
The Far West Regional League is comprised of teams from the 14 western state associations of US Youth Soccer. It provides the top teams in the west with competitive games as teams attempt to qualify for the most prestigious youth soccer event in the country, the US Youth Soccer National Championship Series. Teams must earn their spot in the league through on-field performance regardless of hometown or club affiliation. Winners of the fall Far West Regional League automatically qualify for a wildcard berth at the Far West Regional Championships being held in June of 2012 at Reach 11 Sports Complex in Phoenix, Ariz.
"We were very excited to have the Earthquakes join the Far West Regional League," said Far West Regional Commissioner Jim Tilley. "Their participation, and enthusiasm about the league will hopefully pioneer a longstanding relationship with MLS and Federation Academy programs at the U-14 and U-15 ages. They had a great first weekend of play and hopefully will enjoy their upcoming trip to Salt Lake City."


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Steve Shives has not received any gifts yet
Thanks for your great work Steve, Love It!
Though I had read much apologetic work when I studied theology in a Christian boarding school, just to see what they were on about, and found exactly as you have. Your readings only confirm that nothing really has changed, the same one sided arguments and total ignorance of their own ignorance.
I often lock horns with theists even troll their web sites for a bit of a laugh, they always come back with arguments based on the works of apologists and even when I point out the contradictions of their heroes works, they simply go into denial and reassert the circular argument, Rule 1: The Bible is all knowledge, when things get difficult, refer them back to Rule 1.
Though I argue with them for my own amusement, they consider us ugly Atheists and Bullies, not because we are actually attacking them, but making them actually think, and the pain of trying to think Rationally is beyond their tolerance of pain, so thus we are inflicting pain on them, we are thus Bullies.
Having been barred from many Christian websites, though now I have a new IP address, they haven't detected me yet, so I'm back to being a moderate but questioning Christian again. I like taking the mickey out of those End-Of-Times Evangelical Christian sites and groups.
I'd be interested to see you do a series on their rot, you know, the idea of the Satan driven New Order conspiracy (Illuminati) which half our pop culture is adopting (according to them), possibly because of the free publicity those groups offer. And the rise of the Nephilim and the Anti-Christ (which likely they have tagged us with) for the modern derived prophecy of the Rapture.
Just an idea for when you finish dealing with books written by fools with evidently severely Corrupted Mindware.
To address more fools with supremely corrupted mindware!
Thanks heaps for the Info.
Just noticed that you are from Sharpsburg, right around the corner from me in Frederick. Good to know that such high caliber atheist thinking is close by.
Hi Steve, thanks for doing what you do, its part of what inspired my friend and i to add to the movement of rational thought. we just started godswillchurch.com
I especially like the moral argument vid you did, i forwarded that to a christian friend who i was debating on the issue. thanks man! Rich Matthews
Enjoying your take on The Case for Christ and looking forward to your future observations on that book.
Hi Steve, and welcome to this rational world of Internet atheism---a haven from the superstitions and fictional god of the masses.
"Well-founded common sense inevitably leads to atheism."
We invite you to make good friends by joining the busy group "ORIGINS: Universe, Astronomy, Life, Earth, Humans, Religion, Gods, Atheism, Evolution, Darwin..." with its 475 discussion topics and 2700 members.
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Welcome, Steve! Glad you could join us. :D
Please consider joining a group to meet people and talk about anything that's on your mind, Hang With Friends.
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