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"Your story about dust regulation captures my interest," Mitt Romney said to the farmer, sounding as if he actually meant it. It was a late October afternoon in Treynor, Iowa, the setting for one of those campaign meta-events at which a presidential candidate enjoys a casual moment with real people that is in fact carefully staged and dutifully broadcast by multitudes of local and national reporters hovering a few feet away. In this instance, Romney was participating in a round-table discussion with a dozen local businessmen — his kind of folks — and exhibiting his teacher's-pet flair for spewing out entrepreneurial minutiae.
He peppered them with questions. To an energy producer: "High sulfur or low sulfur content? And how clean is the system you're able to employ? Do you have a trading system for SOx and NOx?" To a feedlot operator, Romney inquired about the number of heads of cattle and their intended purpose. And while discussing renewable energy with an ethanol C.E.O., the candidate offered up a modest smile and said: "When I was a boy, the kind of numbers — help me with my memory on this — but an acre could produce 60 bushels of corn. And now it's about 160 bushels of corn, is that about right?"
"Governor, I'm sorry, but we're running a little short on time," Romney's advance director, Will Ritter, cut in a few minutes later.
"O.K., I'll be a little bit shorter," the candidate promised. Nonetheless, all of this unscripted, free-enterprise small talk cohered into a larger point — indeed, it was the point, the message, the Tao of Mitt, if you will — and in case anyone failed to see it, the candidate spelled it out during the round-table discussion: "I can only tell you this from spending 25 years in business: I understand business."
That same day, the local organizers had planned press availability with Romney. But the national campaign nixed the idea — just as it had long dispensed with the freewheeling "Ask Mitt Anything" Q. and A.'s, some 200 of which the candidate subjected himself to during the 2008 campaign. "You can't control the message," one of Romney's senior advisers later explained to me. "But at a business round table, it's much more easily controlled because you're having a group of businessmen, and you're talking about the economy and the challenges that they may be facing, and Mitt is very conversant on those points."
Similarly, this adviser went on, Romney's five sons, who were ubiquitous features of the previous campaign — and whose affluent preppiness was the subject of much snarky commentary — would be far less present this time around. "The campaign's interest and focus is on the economy message, not so much on showing the entire dimension of the family." He went on, "It just doesn't fit." After the eldest Romney boy, Tagg, was teasingly invited in a Twitter post to "tailgate for the next debate" by the daughters of Jon Huntsman, "he wanted to Tweet with the Huntsman girls," said the adviser. Smiling faintly, the adviser added, "No Tweeting."
Mitt Romney's campaign has decided upon a rather novel approach to winning the presidency. It has taken a smart and highly qualified but largely colorless candidate and made him exquisitely one-dimensional: All-Business Man, the world's most boring superhero. In the recent past, aspirants and their running mates have struggled to clear the regular-guy bar. Dan Quayle lacked a sense of struggle; Michael Dukakis couldn't emote even when asked what he would do if his wife were raped and murdered; George H. W. Bush seemed befuddled by a grocery-store scanner; John Kerry was a windsurfer; John McCain couldn't count all of his houses.
Romney, a socially awkward Mormon with squishy conservative credentials and a reported worth in the range of $190 million to $250 million, is betting that in 2012, recession-weary voters want a fixer, not a B.F.F. As the Romney campaign's chief strategist, Stuart Stevens, told me: "The economy is overwhelmingly the issue. Our whole campaign is premised on the idea that this is a referendum on Obama, the economy is a disaster and Obama is uniquely blocked from being able to talk about jobs."
Meanwhile, Romney has been the race's putative front-runner from the outset. It's true that a low ceiling of support has loomed over him for months, while Republicans have anxiously searched all corners for an alternative. Nonetheless, his challengers appear to be self-immolating one by one and have done little to warrant his attention. Whenever Romney does step out of his tightly circumscribed "I understand business" framework, it is to appeal to conservatives by attacking the president's dubious appreciation of capitalism — saying that Obama "fails to understand America," that he regards the United States as "just another country with a flag" and that he takes his inspiration "from the socialist Democrats of Europe."
I heard Romney make the last two comments during recent campaign stops in Iowa, where the first Republican contest will take place Jan. 3. In a clear reversal of previous election cycles, a Bloomberg poll last month indicated that 71 percent of Iowa Republicans polled viewed fiscal concerns as the predominant issue. Iowa is there for Romney to win. The same poll showed Herman Cain with 20 percent support, Ron Paul with 19 percent, Romney with 18 percent and Newt Gingrich with 17 percent. (In recent weeks, Gingrich has risen, following Perry's and Cain's reigns as candidate of the moment.) The statistical dead heat reveals that this time around, the social conservatives who tend to predominate at the Iowa caucuses — and who view Romney with deep distrust — have yet to coalesce around a particular favorite, as they did with the former Arkansas governor and Baptist preacher Mike Huckabee in 2008. Back then, Huckabee benefited from an unexpectedly high turnout, taking 34 percent of the vote to Romney's 25 percent.
In this year's muddled field, his staff believes that he could win with his totals from 2008. They also believe that he doesn't have to win Iowa — that he could take second or even third and then move on to New Hampshire, where he maintains a summer home and is considered a heavy favorite. Amid a flawed and far less financially endowed field, Romney's staff has every reason to believe that he could effectively clinch the nomination in less than a month, after the Florida primary on Jan. 31.
There's a far less favorable possibility, of course, and it, too, begins with the Iowa contest, which the Romney campaign views with great wariness, as if it might be some kind of sting operation. Despite the obvious rewards of going all in and delivering an early knockout blow in Iowa, Romney's advisers do not want to risk ginning up expectations that their candidate may again fail to meet. Even worse, they fear that he will reanimate the image of him as a flip-flopper willing to tell the state's conservatives whatever they wish to hear, which in turn will dog him into New Hampshire and beyond as it did the last time around. As Doug Gross, the 2008 Romney campaign's Iowa chairman, told me: "He tried to be somebody he wasn't. That's why he lost."
The spin Romney himself puts on his minimalist approach is that after nearly four years of nonstop campaigning, "people know me pretty well." And yet the unintended signal sent by his narrow casting is that the less said about Mitt Romney, the better. Obama's strategists ran an entire presidential campaign through the affecting tapestry of his own narrative. Romney — who has written two books, both scantily personal — maintains an uneasy distance from his own life story, steeped as it is in privilege, Mormonism and the murky art of political compromise. His avoidance of these subjects does not mean that they will go away, only that his opponents will have an opening to frame them as they wish.
Still, it may well be that this strategy of underwhelming force ends up fitting perfectly with a pervasive sense of disillusionment with the once-dazzling Obama. In the aftermath of failed romance with the One, perhaps the electorate will come to settle on Mitt Romney as the One Who Won't Break Your Heart.
The unmarked three-story waterfront building at 585 Commercial Street at the base of the Charlestown Bridge in Boston's North End seems more aptly suited for a numbers racket than for Mitt Romney's campaign headquarters. In 2007, during Romney's previous campaign, burglars (apparently unaffiliated politically) broke in and made off with several computers. Plans to demolish the vacant structure and replace it with condominiums were forestalled, allowing the Romneyites to move back in last year. This fall, a group of Occupy Boston protesters brought nearby traffic to a standstill but were unaware of the building's inhabitants and left it unharassed.
The equally bleak panorama inside — grimy industrial carpet, halfhearted wall adornments and the occasional piece of paper taped to a door announcing that the person inside is in charge of "Strategy" or some such — is a testament both to a campaign's tunnel vision and to the fact that the wealthy Romney is a rather tightfisted fellow. (For a time, he elected to save money at his PAC headquarters in Lexington by not installing land lines, even though cellphones did not work inside the building.) Particularly unkempt is the corner office on the second floor, with its clutter of unused exercise equipment, mislaid cups of espresso and a blender half-full of yesterday's purple energy drink. Its occupant is the Romney campaign's chief strategist, Stuart Stevens.
Stevens, a 58-year old Mississippi native (whom I have known for over a decade), is as wry, eclectic and mussed in appearance as his boss is earnest and buttoned up. Stevens has skied the North Pole, run successful campaigns in Albania and the Democratic Republic of Congo and assisted Vice President Dick Cheney in his debate preparation against John Edwards in 2004. He wrote an early episode of the hit TV series "Northern Exposure" and consulted on Hollywood projects (including the movie "The Ides of March") with the politics junkie George Clooney, who after spending considerable time in Washington finally agreed with Stevens's contention that it is the most sexless city in America. Though Stevens's customary facial expression is the faintly smiling, middle-distance squint of someone lost in abstraction, he can be direct and combative in the extreme and has the reputation, as a prominent G.O.P. consultant who admires Stevens's talent put it, of one who "does not play well with others."
Stevens gravitates toward nonideological Republicans — his client list has included Bob Dole, Charlie Crist and another former G.O.P. governor of Massachusetts, William Weld — and hoped to run Romney's 2002 gubernatorial campaign. But he was beaten out by Mike Murphy, an equally colorful strategist (the two dislike each other). In the summer of 2007, after defecting with his business partner, Russ Schriefer, from the McCain campaign to produce ads for the Romney team, Stevens found that he had joined an already top-heavy staff — and that Murphy, among others, had already laid out a jumble of messaging strategies. As one Romney adviser now concedes: "We brought on a lot of people because we didn't know what we didn't know. We were new to the national stage, and we wanted as much input and advice as we could get, and we also wanted to demonstrate to the world that we could win that invisible primary. So we had a lot of voices, and they weren't unanimous on every point."
Even Romney, for whom heaven is an eternal round-table discussion, came to recognize that the proliferation of highly paid consultants had reached the point of diminishing returns. This time around, he has pared down his front office. Still onboard are a few old hands; one of them, Beth Myers, told Romney that the 2008 campaign lacked a single day-to-day strategist — and that for 2012, Stuart Stevens should be that person.
Stevens and his partner, Schriefer, have instilled focus in a campaign that previously seemed a bit grasping. Gone is the weighty Romney entourage as well as the lavish ad buys, which always struck Stevens as presumptuous. (A favorite Stevens axiom: "If you don't enter this process humbly, you will leave it humbly.") Though he does not seem terribly intimidated by Romney's Republican opponents — to Stevens, Rick Perry brings to mind the townies in the early scenes of "The Deer Hunter" who go loping into Vietnam expecting to kick butt — he refers to the Obama team as "the best campaign organization ever put together" and reminds his colleagues, "The only thing more intoxicating than getting elected president is the terror of losing the power of the White House. They'll fight savagely to hang onto that power."
Stevens devised the campaign's refrain "Obama Isn't Working," with its dreary recession visuals and testimonials from the jobless posted on a Romney Web site. The strategist's gift for withering criticism is rubbing off on his boss. Though Romney now and again employs distinctly Mitt-like language when referring to the president as a "well-intentioned" man who's simply "out of his depth," the candidate increasingly cleaves to the more jut-jawed message that Obama has "failed America" and doesn't get "what makes America work" — which segues to the virtues of the übercapitalist Romney, whose new campaign slogan is "Believe in America."
In the meantime, Stevens and other advisers have counseled Romney to ignore attacks from disapproving conservatives, like the comment made by the Baptist pastor and Perry supporter Robert Jeffress that "Mormonism is a cult." ("Four years ago, that would have set off all sorts of alarm bells — we would have tried to mobilize our evangelical supporters to counter what Jeffress and others have been saying," a senior staff member told me.) Romney has quietly courted key figures in the Tea Party movement since its inception two years ago: among his PAC's first donations was one to the Congressional campaign of Michele Bachmann; he was the first major figure to endorse the current South Carolina governor, Nikki Haley; and he also gave to the losing campaigns of Sharron Angle of Nevada and Christine O'Donnell of Delaware.
But the Romney campaign has made its peace with — and in the general election may make a virtue out of — the fact that he remains despised by the far right. Among this segment is Iowa's most prominent Tea Party activist, Ryan Rhodes, who told me that Romney's campaign has not reached out to him and who also said, "You look at his health care plan, the fact that he hired people who lobbied for Solyndra — it takes those issues off the table that you could tie around Obama's neck." He went on: "I don't think he has a major belief system. He's Mitt Romney. He's a manager, O.K.?"
In the past, Romney, an English major in college, was reluctant to let others put words in his mouth. But those running his campaign felt that his prose tended to accentuate Romney's blandness and wasn't a good use of his time. ("During the 2008 campaign," one staff member says, snickering, "I used to tell people: 'We're not very happy with our speechwriter, and we want to fire him. His name's Mitt, and he works on the third floor.' ") Stevens, who has made a second career out of writing dialogue for recurring TV characters, persuaded Romney to surrender the speechwriting responsibilities to him — and in recent weeks, Stevens in turn has deferred to the punchy prose of Lindsay Hayes, a former speechwriter for Sarah Palin.
Stevens has also played a hand in Romney's much-lauded debate performances, which have buttressed the candidate's assertion that he is best equipped to take on the rhetorically deft Obama. The previous campaign's debate sessions were, says one adviser, "like an Economics 101 course in college, just a lot of people sitting auditorium-style with their computers." This year's prepping has involved fewer contributors conjuring sound bites. "All we do is argue," says Stevens, who has coached Romney to not get entangled in the specifics of a question. Instead: Hear the topic, zone out the rest, say what you're about, don't get hung up on how the crowd responds. It's not about the room. It's about the answer.
Another Stevens maxim is "You've got to dig the ditch you're going to die in" — or, less metaphorically, "You have to be willing to lose," a slogan that he and Schriefer inscribed on a message board early on in the campaign. It's a rousing sentiment that Romney has taken to heart in his forceful defense of the Massachusetts health care law that some admirers have begged the ex-governor to disavow. During such moments, Romney seems to project the confident air of a chief executive who spends little time fretting over what other people think.
More often, however, Mitt Romney the data-driven former corporate consultant seems like a man puzzling his way to victory, doing and saying whatever might solve the problem immediately at hand. In Iowa, I watched as the candidate confronted the dicey issue of ethanol subsidies at the Treynor business round table like a man who had no intentions of losing, dying, ditch-digging or anything else except ingratiating. First he stipulated that "I supported the subsidy of ethanol to help get the industry on its feet." After qualifying that support by saying, "I didn't feel the subsidy needed to go on forever," Romney noted that the subsidy was due to expire in December anyway. He qualified that observation by remarking, "I might've looked at more of a decline over time. . . ." But, he cheerfully observed, "most people I know in the ethanol industry say, 'Fine — we're now up and going.' " Lest anyone doubt his commitment, Romney reminded his audience, "For me, ethanol is part of national security — it is part of America developing our own energy. . . . And I would like to see the ethanol industry continue to be successful to grow and to provide a growing share of America's domestic energy sources.
"And how to do that," he finished with an unsteady grin, "as Ross Perot used to say, I'm all ears!"
Among Stevens's colorful analogies, the unlikeliest is one in which he compares Romney to Michael Vick, the dynamic quarterback of the Philadelphia Eagles. "Michael Vick's not a real good pocket guy," Stevens told me. "So don't tell him he can't roll out. Try to make him the best rollout guy that's ever played." And indeed, Romney's staff has endeavored to focus the campaign on his strengths, which are decidedly the opposite of Vick's. So instead of letting their quarterback roam and improvise, they're keeping him tightly contained in the business-centric pocket, hoping to God that he does not stray from it.
Romney has been spending a great deal of time lately with Republicans who want to like him. On Oct. 26, he met with 61 Republican members of Congress who had either already endorsed him or were considering doing so. "The thing I try to convey to my colleagues is, 'Mitt Romney is not going to embarrass you — he's the most vetted candidate out there,' " says Representative Jason Chaffetz of Utah, who helped organize the gathering. In that sense, Romney did not disappoint. Though he devoted the bulk of his talk to the economy, he also made the point, Chaffetz says, "that in the general election he's going to be very attractive to both Republicans and independents."
Still, one attendee was annoyed when Romney gave a lengthy explanation for his conversion on the abortion issue and then concluded with the stilted formulation, "I come down on the side of pro-life." The representative confronted Romney and said, "That's not going to work with my rural voters."
Another congressman, Darrell Issa of California, offered the former Massachusetts governor a suggestion. "Instead of always telling people this is what you're going to do, tell them how you did it," Issa said. "Like when you had a budget deficit and went through it line by line with each department head — that really resonates with people who go through their own budgets line by line. It's more personal."
Romney considered the idea, then carefully said, "I'm going to have to figure out how to do that." Implicit in his response was that Romney's four years dealing with the Democrat-controlled Massachusetts State Legislature — one in which the governor showed himself to be, as one adviser puts it, "a conciliator" and "a practical politician" — is a story best left for the general election. (Or avoided entirely. As another Romney campaign strategist observes, "It's a terrible time to be running based on your experience in government.")
Later that afternoon, Romney met with two House Republican leaders: Paul Ryan, the Budget Committee chairman, and Kevin McCarthy, the majority whip. Romney wanted to discuss Medicare reform with Ryan, who says he encouraged the candidate to "be bold, be specific and defend yourself." The plan Romney would unveil a week later — one that allows future senior citizens to choose between traditional Medicare and a private health insurance plan — amounts to a compromise proposal that Ryan acknowledges is politically safer than his, and which he is "perfectly comfortable with."
McCarthy also counseled boldness. "Look, no candidate ever wants to have a primary challenge, but it always makes you stronger," the majority whip told Romney. He added, "You've got to have that Reagan-and-the-microphone moment." (He was referring to the 1980 debate in which the candidate Reagan proclaimed, "I am paying for this microphone," appearing decisive.) "People are just starving for a leader," McCarthy said.
Hearing such stories, you get the notion that Republicans yearning for victory are calling out for something brilliant and yet unseen to burst out of Romney's gray chrysalis. Simultaneously earthbound and, as one Republican congresswoman puts it, "a little too perfect," Romney seems, even to himself, an ill fit for his newly chosen vocation. While trying to win over voters in New Hampshire in early 2008, he turned to an aide and said: "You know, I've done a lot of stuff. I've started companies, I ran companies, I ran the Olympics. This is by far the hardest thing I've ever done!" He added, laughing, "Why didn't anybody tell me?"
The chief vulnerability of the Romney campaign resides with the understandable decision to keep their anti-Michael Vick in the pocket, thereby limiting our view of the man. Those who at close range watched Romney's failure to close the deal in 2008 did not witness a rejection per se. Instead, it appeared that Republican voters could not quite envision this decent, clever and socially uneasy fellow governing their country — as opposed to, say, managing their stock portfolios. Stories of Romney's wooden people skills are legion. "The Mormon's never going to win the who-do-you-want-to-have-a-beer-with contest," concedes one adviser, while another acknowledges, "He's never had the experience of sitting in a bar, and like, talking."
To his admiring subordinates, Romney is the man who, while waiting in an aide's garage during an advertising shoot, took it upon himself to sweep it spick-and-span. He is the boss who hosted a 2008 post-mortem at his house in Belmont, Mass., and instead of demanding answers or fixing blame, passed out photo albums of the campaign for each staff member to keep. One longtime aide maintains that Romney is, no matter how much of a corporate barracuda the Democrats make him out to be, "more Richie Cunningham of 'Happy Days' than Gordon Gekko" of "Wall Street." And he possesses an almost otherworldly unflappability — seen, for example, on a public street in 2009, when a detractor who recognized Romney cursed at him."Well!" remarked Romney to a companion. "I guess somebody's having a bad day!"
Romney's associates maintain that his genial and humble aspect masks a voracious intellect. A longtime friend of Romney's explained to me that a desire to digest all available viewpoints was the thread that ran through the candidate's entire professional life. At Bain Capital, said the friend, Romney "wanted hardworking people who would challenge him — he plays devil's advocate, trying not only to understand what you think the answer is but what your depth of thinking is." While turning around the troubled Winter Olympics in Utah, "he brought in a management team with divergent views." As governor, Romney "wanted a cabinet that would argue different points of view."
The friend then hastened to assure me that Romney was, beyond all that discursiveness, a decisive leader. But as a presidential candidate, he does not always display his intellectual rigor in his policy proposals. An adviser once told me about how in 2007 Romney reacted to the news that the Iranian president, Mahmoud Ahmadinejad, was planning on visiting ground zero during a United Nations convention. First, the candidate engaged in a debate with his foreign-policy aide, Dan Senor. Then the two men switched sides and argued opposite positions. Finally, Romney called for someone to bring him the United Nations Charter, which he read and discussed at length with Senor.
But in the end, Romney's response to the Ahmadinejad visit was unremarkable. He released a four-sentence press statement denouncing the Iranian leader's intentions as "shockingly audacious" and concluding that rather than "entertaining Ahmadinejad, we should be indicting him."
I asked the campaign staff if I could talk to Romney about his economic proposals. They replied that in the interests of controlling the campaign's message, the candidate would not be participating in any profiles or "process stories." Instead, they suggested I speak with the campaign's policy director, Lanhee Chen, a highly respected Harvard Ph.D., who did his best to characterize Romney's views. The problem is that when you look beneath Mitt Romney's critique of the Obama economy, his remedies feel a bit thin.
Asked what President Romney would have done during his first days in office, in lieu of a federal stimulus, to address the market meltdown, Chen rattled off a few likely options: "Lowering the corporate tax rate. Enacting a permanent extension of the 2001 and 2003 tax cuts. Immediately ratifying our pending trade agreements with Colombia, Panama and South Korea. In the energy sector, freeing up the necessary land to enable greater domestic production." He did not make clear how Romney would have steered these boilerplate conservative proposals through a Democrat-controlled Congress.
I asked Chen about Romney's recent recommendation that the National Endowment for the Humanities and the National Endowment of the Arts be targeted for federal spending cuts. Was the candidate proposing that these two federal agencies, long opposed by conservative groups, be eliminated altogether? "We haven't specifically discussed that," Chen said.
These programs had a combined annual budget of less than $500 million. Meanwhile, Romney previously criticized President George W. Bush's Medicare Part D prescription-drug program for its exorbitant cost — "the actual balance-sheet impact . . . [is] now estimated to be approximately $8 trillion," he wrote. Had Romney discussed repealing the pricey entitlement? "It was not under consideration," Chen replied.
Romney's policy director had thorough responses to about half of my inquiries. He didn't know if the candidate's heavy criticism of Obama's "green jobs" initiatives meant that Romney was skeptical of a green-jobs industry on its face. He didn't know what exemptions Romney would eliminate in pursuit of a flatter tax code. Asked if Romney agreed with Michele Bachmann's sentiment that every adult American should pay taxes, Chen replied, "I don't have anything for you there." Finally, I asked for clarification of a remark I heard Romney make on the campaign trail in western Iowa: "You cannot have a strong economy without strong families and strong values." While I could appreciate how that sentiment would appeal to Iowa's social conservatives, the logic wasn't especially clear.
"You know, it's a general comment on the importance that strong families have in our country's economic strength," Chen said. He recalled that Romney expanded on the topic at the Values Voters Summit a few weeks back and referred me to the speech.
Here is what it says on the subject: "The foundation needed for a strong economy and a strong military is a people of strong values."
Romney's newest book, "No Apology," similarly represents how the candidate's intellectual vigor gives ground to political calibrations. Romney decided to write the book immediately after bowing out of the race in February 2008. "I can live with everything that happened in the campaign," he told aides. What frustrated him was his inability to articulate a vision for the country. Two advisers recall a meeting in the summer of 2008 at which Romney cited as a literary inspiration a book that had been on his mind, about the decline of France following the mass protests of the 1960s — and then proceeded to translate it aloud from French.
While touring the country raising funds for Republican candidates that summer, Romney also pored over texts from British leftists arguing why America's decline as a superpower should be welcomed. He told aides to thrash out big ideas for the book, and he envisioned gathering roomfuls of experts. After first hiring a ghostwriter, Romney then decided that he would prefer to write it himself. He spent most of the first half of 2009 at his new home in La Jolla, Calif., typing away on his laptop while e-mailing his researcher for details on radical Islam and the fall of the Roman Empire.
For those political insiders who had been hearing murmurs that Romney was intending to write a "Tom Friedman-esque" book, it came as something of a surprise to read "No Apology" — a data-packed but mostly familiar defense of American exceptionalism that, as the title indicates, also devotes ample space to condemning President Obama's supposed tendency to apologize on the world stage for America's moral lapses. Where Romney's book strikes an unusual chord, for a politician anyway, is in its frank recognition that for innovation to thrive, governments must stand back and allow the "creative destruction" of obsolete industries — and the jobs they produce. Readers will recognize in such passages the brisk realism of Mitt Romney, corporate consultant.
Squaring such sentiments with the Mitt Romney who won the Michigan primary in January 2008 is more vexing. More than one adviser told me that Michigan was where Romney "found his voice" — an odd claim, given the widespread view at the time that the primary featured Mitt Romney at his most pandering. While the front-runner, McCain, delivered "straight talk" that some industries in Michigan were unlikely to be rejuvenated and that worker retraining was the more prudent course than trying to "recreate the past" — an argument for creative destruction — Romney labeled his opponent a defeatist and sunnily pledged "to fight for every single job." (Ten months later, Romney returned to his Bain mind-set and wrote an Op-Ed in The New York Times titled, "Let Detroit Go Bankrupt.")
Another side of Mitt Romney is ever-so-briefly revealed in "No Apology" — that of a former lay pastor, or "stake president," at his Mormon church in Boston. Serving in that capacity, Romney wrote, "I cannot count the number of times I consoled or counseled a person who had lost a job." In a couple of short but moving paragraphs, the author recites a few such poignant moments before concluding, "Ever since these experiences, unemployment is not merely a statistic for me." Sheryl Gay Stolberg independently confirmed Romney's counseling interactions in an article in this paper. But Romney refused to be interviewed on the subject, and his campaign staff also declined to assist Stolberg, just as my inquiries on his time as Mormon stake president were, unlike my queries on other subjects, met with silence.
"He's probably taken it off the table because he feels that the downside of bringing up his Mormon leadership responsibility is greater than his upside," says Doug Cropper, a Romney supporter and Mormon bishop in Davenport, Iowa. "And I understand it."
The unintended consequence is that it leaves less of Mitt Romney to understand — and, correspondingly, more room for doubt.
It's very unlikely that we'll ever hear Mitt Romney and Barack Obama openly discuss the things they have in common. Nonetheless, we may well see in the general election a contest between two dispassionate and accommodating pragmatists and skilled debaters who relish intellectual give-and-take, and whose willingness to compromise has infuriated the party faithful. Both have promised change. Each will frame the other as being not up to the task.
How ably Romney the nominee will defend himself, given the kid-gloves treatment by his current competition and the campaign's avoidance of large segments of his own life story, is difficult to say just yet. In early November I watched Romney return to Iowa for only the fourth time. He stopped in Dubuque and Davenport and, before decent-size crowds, essentially regurgitated his address on the economy from the week before. In both cases he spoke for less than 20 minutes and did not take questions from the audience. Far more of his ground time was devoted to filming promotional material in a Dubuque sheet-metal factory, where the footage would capture the candidate seeming engaged in the kind of heart-to-heart dialogues with working-class Americans that the campaign had otherwise left off his schedule that day.
Near the end of his talk in Davenport, he said to the 275 east Iowans in attendance, "I want you to get to know me a little better." After wrapping up his speech, he moved briskly through the crowd, pausing now and then to take photos and sign autographs, before flying out of Iowa with Stuart Stevens and a couple of other staff members.
The following morning in Des Moines, I met with Romney's former Iowa chairman, Doug Gross. The strategist recalled how he had gotten off to a rocky start with the Romneys when he first traveled to Boston to meet them in the spring of 2007. That day, Gross brought up Romney's potential liabilities in Iowa — including his previously progressive stances on abortion and gays, along with his Mormon faith — and warned that he would have to prove that he could relate to average voters. According to Gross (and confirmed by someone else who was there): "He got mad, his wife stormed out and he never talked to me the rest of the night. They found it insulting."
Romney nonetheless hired Gross, who believes that the results of that 2008 campaign vindicated his initial concerns. Despite being asked to rejoin the campaign this year, he has not done so. I asked him if he had any reservations as to whether Mitt Romney would be a good president.
"Yeah," he immediately replied. "That's why I haven't committed. To be an excellent president — part of the rap on Mitt is that he's too flexible. I see that as a good thing, because it shows he's willing to be pragmatic and do what works.
"But," added Mitt Romney's former Iowa chairman, "I don't know if he's got the gut instinct to make the right call at the right time. I don't know yet."


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Likewise, Vidal Sassoon's Sassoon Academies in Santa Monica, San Francisco, Miami and Chicago offer cuts, highlighting, straightening, and the like under strict supervisor instruction. Free styling is given to a select few who are open to a big change and game for modeling in educational hair shows. You must call the Sassoon Academy in your area as these bargains are popular not publicized online.
Keep it Local
You need not go to a big name, national school. Many local beauty schools, massage therapy schools, chiropractic schools, etc. offer similar instructional programs.
Finding teaching schools will take a little research. First, peruse the websites of schools in your area. Then try searching by service like, "dental," "vision," "haircut" along with "training" and your city's name. Also ask your friends and relatives if they've taken advantage of any such programs.
First call the providers first to determine the price and length of appointments, and keep in mind that you may have to schedule in advance. If you're a college student you might even receive additional discounts as many schools prioritize services for their students and offer them the best bargains.
These are some great ways to save on services, but if you need more help with your budget, consider talking to a counselor with ClearPoint Credit Counseling Solutions.
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subset: commoncrawl


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NEW Turn frowns upside down
Transform frowns into smiles, adjust squinting eyes and make other quick tweaks, so everyone in your photos looks their best.
NEW Bring collages to life
Create dynamic collages with photos and videos that show many memories at once. Perfect for sharing on Facebook, YouTube, and other social sites.
NEW Picture incredible text
Get step-by-step help turning a photo into cool visual text and then adding an embossed look and drop shadows to really make it pop. Great for collages, scrapbook pages, cards, signs, and more.
NEW Easily create a signature look
Use a new Guided Edit to apply effects across multiple clips or your entire movie at once.
NEW Create a collage of effects
Get artistic by adding multiple effects to a single photo. Photoshop Elements walks you through it and gives you templates and themes to choose from.
NEW Pump up the action
Add a motion blur behind your subject to create a dramatic speed-pan action shot.
NEW Photo painting
Paint an effect over your subject and then add textures and color themes to create a unique work of art — perfect for sharing on social media or as a printed keepsake.
NEW Truly custom frames
Create your own frames to
complement favorite photos, add polish to your scrapbook pages, or share with others. This Guided Edit makes it a breeze.
complement favorite photos, add polish to your scrapbook pages, or share with others. This Guided Edit makes it a breeze.
NEW Remix music to the perfect length
Pick any music file, and it automatically remixes to match the length of your movie. New Remix creates a natural sound, so you never lose the soul of your audio.
NEW Touch your way to great pics and videos
The Organizer and Quick Edit mode are now touch-friendly, so you can simply tap to do all your finding, sorting, and quick enhancements.
ENHANCED Have more fun with filters
Filters are a great way to try on fresh new looks and show off your creativity, and now it's even easier to choose the best filter for your photo and fine-tune the details.
NEW From quick clicks to incredible movies
Face Detection automatically brings faces front and center to make your movies more memorable. Works with auto-trimming, Favorite Moments, and pan and zoom.
ENHANCED Fix photos by the batch
Now you can brighten, add color, enhance clarity, or add effects to multiple photos simultaneously. And you can use touch, so it's even easier to get the look you want.
ENHANCED Search is a cinch
Find the exact photos and videos you're looking for by searching on a combination of things, including people, places, events, and other favorite subjects. The Organizer is now touch-friendly so finding and viewing are even easier.
NEW Find photos faster with Smart Tags
Photoshop Elements suggests tags for your photos based on subjects like sunsets, birthdays, dogs, cats and more.
ENHANCED The right tutorials, right away
Get the help you need — even if you don't know exactly how to describe it — right from eLive within Photoshop Elements.
Never a hazy day
Easily remove haze to make the background as crisp as what's up front. Great for landscape shots.
Selecting hair is a snap
Selecting hair, pet fur, and other fine details used to be a chore. No more! Just paint loosely over the area and Elements does the rest.
Custom looks for any photo
Elements analyzes the subject, color, and lighting and gives you five effects that fit perfectly.
Mix things up to create all-new scenes
Photo remixes and mashups are easy with Photomerge Compose. Pull something out of one photo, pop it into another, and the color and lighting blend for a realistic-looking scene.
Perfect group shots
Never let a frown or a blink ruin a group photo again. With Photomerge Group Shot, it's easy to combine faces and bodies from a series of pictures to create a single perfect composite.
Go pano for the full experience
Photomerge Panorama blends, fills in jagged edges, and stitches together multiple horizontal or vertical photos for your best-looking panos yet.
Great crops for great compositions
The perfect composition is the one you like best. Elements suggests four different options — you just pick your favorite.
Goodbye flawed, hello phenomenal
Whiten teeth or make skies a vibrant blue in one step. Make unwanted stuff vanish with one brush stroke, and get intelligent tone corrections with a tool that remembers the looks you like.
Photo tilted? Fix it fast.
Straightening's a snap — edges fill in like magic.
Tell dazzling stories with motion titles
Grab attention from the start of your movie with motion titles. Easily animate text and graphics using built-in presets that give your movies professional polish.
Pop a color for instant wow
Get the effects you're after with Guided Edits. Create visual drama by popping one or more colors in a scene and pushing everything else to black-and-white.
Play with time
Use Guided Edits to create slow-motion effects that add emphasis, suspense, or drama as well as fast-motion effects that speed up your story and add energy, excitement, or fun.
Sound your best
Audio sets your movie's mood — and now it's easier than ever to fine-tune your sound.
Easily tell your big life stories
Do justice to weddings, birthdays, and other big life events. With Video Story you just pick the story type, grab clips for each chapter and Premiere Elements does the rest — trimming, transitions and music based on the mood you chose, so you get a full-on production.
Cooler titles and dramatic effects
Use Guided Edits to add video right inside the text in your movie titles, and to punch up the drama with effects or blurs that draw eyes to one part of your scene.
Smooth out the shakes
Make the footage you capture with action cams less shaky and more awesome with Shake Reduction.
Add effects that move with the action
Add thought bubbles, artwork, and other fun embellishments that travel along with the action in your scenes.
Trick out your flick with cinematic styles
Give your movies all-new moods and visual styles by dropping on Hollywood Looks like Comic and Yesteryear.
Make it sound right with music and audio effects
Bring depth and drama with over 50 musical scores and 250 sound effects.
Show your true colors
Sliders let you adjust clip color as easily as adjusting the color in a photo.
Try photo-blending tricks
Enhance one clip with the colors or textures of another clip, add your signature or a copyright line as a watermark, and more.
As easy as drag and drop
Drag and drop thumbnails of your clips, transitions, and effects to quickly create a story. Then trim and split clips, drop in filters and effects, create picture-in-picture effects and type titles and text right on the screen.
Smart options save time
Automatically fix color and lighting problems; trim away all but the best footage; and balance audio to create pro-quality sound throughout your movie.
Find by people
Photoshop Elements recognizes the faces in your photos and stacks them by person during import, so it's easy to find photos of specific people later.
Find by places
Relive your journeys – view photos and videos on a map based on where they were taken.
Find by events
Find, view, and organize photos and videos based on the events they capture — birthday parties, vacations, weddings, first days of school and more.
Easily tell your big life stories
Do justice to weddings, birthdays, and other big life events. With Video Story you just pick the story type, grab clips for each chapter and Premiere Elements does the rest — trimming, transitions and music based on the mood you chose, so you get a full-on production.
Polished movies, instantly
Pick clips and a theme to create a movie in an instant. InstantMovie pulls it all together with coordinated music, titles, and effects.
Stand out from the crowd on Facebook
Put a cool twist on your Facebook page by blending your profile and cover photos in ways your friends won't just Like, they'll love.*
Not your standard slideshows
Don't just create a slideshow — tell your story from every angle with multiple photos on each slide.
Showcase your photos in printed keepsakes
Make memories last by sharing photos in beautiful greeting cards, calendars, collages, and more.
Package your discs in style
Use photos, text, and themed graphics to create great-looking customized jackets and labels for your CDs and DVDs.
Share your stories
Upload your finished movies to YouTube, Facebook, Vimeo, or your own website. Burn HD-quality movies to affordable DVD discs using standard burners, and share movies in high-quality 4K or AVCHD format.*
Easily export optimized movies in just about any format
Ready to export your movie? Premiere Elements recommends the right settings so you get a movie that looks great on whatever device or screen you choose, from iPads, iPods, and other smartphones to big-screen 4K and HD TVs. Plus. create for traditional television (4:3) or widescreen (16.9) format.*
Go beyond HD with 4K
Edit and view high-resolution 4K movies for the ultimate cinematic experience.*
Get a final movie, faster
Less waiting around! Premiere Elements works with your Intel hardware to speed up creation of your finished movie file.
Still deciding? Start with the free trial.
* This product may integrate with or allow access to certain Adobe or third-party hosted online services ("Online Services"). Online Services are available only to users 13 and older and require agreement to additional terms of use and the Adobe Privacy Policy (see www.adobe.com/go/terms_cn). Online Services are not available in all countries or languages, may require user registration and may be discontinued or modified in whole or in part without notice. Additional fees or subscription charges may apply.


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Money-sink (also known as a "gold sink") is a term used to denote a game mechanic that helps to control the inflation rate and in-game economy. Without various money-sinks, the developers would have no viable means of introducing money into, or removing excess coin from, the game's economy. This would eventually lead to a complete breakdown of the economic sub-systems. In a game like World of Warcraft, which is primarily driven by a player-created economy, this could have catastrophic effects.
This term is also used somewhat derogatorily by players to denote any in-game sub-system that might be what they consider exorbitantly expensive, from a cost-effectiveness point of view. For instance, personal mounts are quite expensive. Some might call that game mechanic a money-sink. The same generally applies to player-housing in some form or fashion. In many MMORPGs, player-housing is so expensive that the average player could not afford it until later levels, no matter their actual need to have a central port for anchoring alts, entertaining friends, larger vaults, etc.
In general terms, think of anything on the luxury side of one's in-game life as a money-sink.
See also
External links
- News


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With just over two weeks to go before a winner is selected, Ground Effect Advisors (GEA) has revealed the 10 finalists for its flying club scholarship.
These 10 prospective clubs were selected from 126 applications received since the scholarship was announced Jan. 25. The winning applicant, to be announced on May 31, will receive more than $3,500 worth of products and support, all of which is geared towards getting a flying club off the ground.
"When we announced the scholarship, we knew we were breaking new ground," said Louis Bowers, a GEA partner. "Instead of focusing on the individual, as most aviation scholarships do, our intent was to provide a broader foundation for the growth of general aviation. We were absolutely blown away with the response. We expected somewhere in the range of 25 to 40 applications. To receive 126 from 33 different states is astonishing, yet also speaks to the tremendous potential of flying clubs."
To narrow the field, GEA relied on their own recipe for success as articulated by Marc Epner, another partner within GEA.
"To be successful, a club has to have a strong leader with a vision of what the club is to become," he explained. "The environment has to be supportive and conducive to growth, and required resources need to be available at the right time and place. This is about building an organization for the long haul. We see that in our 10 finalists."
The 10 finalists are:
- Kenneth A. from Henderson Executive Airport; Las Vegas, Nevada (HND)Bill F. from Terre Haute International Airport-Hulman Field; Terre Haute, Indiana (HUF)
- Drew A. from Trenton Mercer Airport; Trenton, New Jersey (TTN)
- Bryan L. from Sundance Airpark; Oklahoma City, Oklahoma (HSD)
- Gary L. from Camarillo Airport; Camarillo, California (CMA)
- Tom G. from Currituck County Regional Airport; Currituck, N.C. (ONX)
- Scott C. from Iowa City Municipal Airport; Iowa City, Iowa (IOW)
- Jay H. and Jeff N. from Jefferson City Memorial Airport; Jefferson City, Missouri (JEF)
- Zachary P. from Wilmington International Airport; Wilmington, N.C. (KILM)
- Eric T. from Bemidji Regional Airport; Bemidji, Minnesota (BJI)
View a map of airports represented by the 126 applications and 10 finalists (pictured above).
"We knew we had something special from the start," Epner said. "The enthusiastic participation of recognizable partners, including the Aircraft Owners and Pilots Association (AOPA), David Clark, Sporty's Pilot Shop, Signature Flight Support, Cirrus Aircraft, Schedule Master, PilotEdge and LiveATC.net was our first indication that this was going to be well received. The overwhelming response from the aviation community sends a strong message that general aviation is alive and well and committed to working together to achieve our common dream. We're excited to be part of that team."
Ground Effect Advisors is a newly established organization focused on making an impact in the growth of general aviation by exploiting the vast potential of flying clubs. The executive team at GEA consists of pilots with diverse backgrounds in aviation, including a corporate pilot and CFI, a flying club founder and president, and general aviation bloggers.
For more information: StartAFlyingClub.com


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You must be a member of the Carthage community to access this page. Please log in above with your My.Carthage user name and password, and we'll send you on your way.
If you are still unable to access the page you are looking for, either your username and/or password are invalid, or you do not have permission to access this page. Please try logging in again, or contact the My.Carthage Resource Center.
Carthage College
2001 Alford Park Drive
Kenosha, WI 53140
Contact Carthage
Campus map and directions


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You know the story: boy sees girl on cover of Sports Illustrated Swimsuit Issue, makes YouTube video asking her to prom, she seems down. The rest is history, right?
Jake Davidson's dream of having model Kate Upton on his arm appeared in serious jeopardy this weekend after Upton said her schedule in May "may" be too hectic. He was so close. Upton even seemed to dig the teen.
"It was so flattering," Upton, 20, told People. "The video was so cute, and I really appreciated it. There was something about it that I knew I had to respond."
U.S. & World
The day's top national and international news.
Upton said on Twitter and on "Today" that she would love to go with the teen to prom but had to check her schedule. She now appears to be laying the groundwork to let him down easy. It's not him, it's her.
"I'm not sure if I'll be able to go with him or not, due to my schedule," Upton told People. "I want to, but I just don't know if I can make it work. But I really appreciated being asked; it made me feel really great."
You can watch the prom proposal below:
Visit NBCNews.com for breaking news, world news, and news about the economy


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quote: Originally posted by payment proofWhat is the name of your business?
quote: Originally posted by annelious450 quote: Originally posted by payment proofWhat is the name of your business?
Buying profitable websites
quote: Originally posted by Offshore-Wealth.comA profitable website is like any business, you see thousands of businesses being sold, and the value is based on the revenues they generate, no different with websites, if it is profitable, the value will be appraised based on that profitability. The more it makes, the more it is worth, nothing new here, I have sold several websites over the years, just as I have sold several businesses. Simply put, I am not married to any website or business, so why wouldn't people sell their assets, and that is exactly what a profitable website is or business is, an asset. Hardly a scam to sell websites or businesses.
quote: The main task enable UK to firm offers best in class administrations to its customers with a guarantee of conveying all the required function admirably inside the due date.


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Tasmanian Devil Unzoo entry and tour
Come face-to-face with our famous Tasmanian devils and wild creatures found nowhere else on earth, discover rare and beautiful Tasmanian plants in a Tasmanian Native Botanic Garden, see Tasmanian artworks in rustic bush galleries and help save endangered Tasmanian devils on our Devil Tracker Adventure.
Tasmanian Devil Unzoo is the world's first intentional Unzoo—a revolutionary project to create a model wildlife and nature experience of the future. It is the vision of international design consultant Jon Coe who in 2007 developed a master plan for the Hamilton family to turn their traditional Australian wildlilfe park / zoo into an experience that immerses you deep in Nature.
The changes are profound: hundreds of trees have been planted and bushland reserves created to provide natural habitats for local wild parrots, pademelons and honeyeaters, boundary fences have been removed to welcome the local wild animals, the whole of the Unzoo is now a Tasmanian native botanic garden with a hundred interesting plant stories and guided walks with high-tech cameras display wild possums hiding in nooks and crannies. Essentially, unlike a "zoo" you will, as Jon Coe planned, be looking up to Nature.
So now, after nine long years of development and research, it is time for you to be inspired, intrigued, challenged and entertained. Sometimes, you might even find us a little outrageous. We believe our Unzoo is just the opposite of a caged up "wildlife park" and our hope is that it will challenge you to think about the natural world, and your place in it, in a completely new way.
Our guides lead 15 interesting wildlife presentations each day with Tasmanian devil feedings every hour or so.
Your pre-booked ticket guarantees entry. Add the the Devil Tracker Adventure option as well but do book to ensure a seat. Best of all you will be helping our mission to save the critically endangered Tasmanian devil.
Open every day* from 9am. Just an hour from Hobart. (* Except 25 December)
- Highlights
- 1 Day Adventure
- Activity Duration
- 2 hours
- Activity Location
- Taranna, Tasmania


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cop(redirected from cop a plea)
Also found in: Dictionary, Thesaurus, Medical, Legal, Financial, Idioms.
a conical roll of thread wound on a spindle
in textile manufacture, a type of yarn package on spinning machines with spindles when the yarn is wound on a bobbin, tube, or the spindle itself. Its shape is conical or, less often, cylindrical; in the latter case the ends may be conical. A cop should be strong and thick and permit easy unwinding of the yarn in an axial direction.


text: In reading your book, I am coming to understand some thing that have been eluding me for years. Breath being prayer, breath being praise and breath as a restoration. Your art lines things up about healing and wholeness for me that I just wasn't able to put together before. It occurs to me that the a..read more >>


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Capability Management Service Assurance
|1. The Actions, Tasks or Activities performed, using the Solutions that are in place and available, to instill a level of confidence or certainty that Capability Management related Service Level Agreements, Targets, Objectives, Requirements and Contracts are all being met according to the expectations of the Capability Management Service Owner and other key Service Stakeholders, such as but not limited to Customers, Clients, Consumers, End Users and Sponsors.
Read More
|1) The Semantic Root Noun for this term is: Capability
2) Semantically Related Terms: The "Capability Management Glossary"
3) The Capability Management Home Page covers much more about other related terms and concepts associated with this term or phrase.


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Report: James Harrison meets with AFC North rival
Former Steelers linebacker visits Cincinnati Bengals
Former Steelers linebacker James Harrison was scheduled to meet with the Cincinnati Bengals on Thursday, according to NFL.com.
Harrison, who turns 35 in May, has yet to find a new team after a month on the free agent market.
Slideshow: Steelers free agent tracker
The Ravens -- another AFC North rival of the Steelers -- were thought to be a possible landing spot for the 2008 Defensive Player of the Year, but the team signed linebacker Elvis Dumervil to a five-year deal worth $35 million.
Harrison's agent previously said he would still welcome a call from the Steelers, but the team was said to have "closed the door" on that possibility.
The Steelers released Harrison in early March after the two sides failed to renegotiate his contract. Harrison was due a $6.57 million salary in 2013 and more than $7.5 million in 2014.
Harrison missed the first three games of last season while recovering from knee surgery, but he finished the season with a team-leading six sacks.


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With CS5 now available the EMEA Evangelism team have been hard at work prepping for our upcoming tour and the Online Developer Week. The course of events will fall between June 7th – 10th covering everything from design in Photoshop CS5 to development, and even deployment of your applications using the Flash Platform suite of tools.
The tools covered will include Flash Builder, Flash Professional, Flash Catalyst, Flex 4 and the Flash Player 10.1 and AIR 2 runtimes. In my own session we'll also be covering Device Central and some asset optimization guidelines for targeting mobile phones.
We'll also look at P2P with Flash Player 10.1 as well as Livecycle, PHP and Java integration on the backend.
June 7th – 12:00 – 13:00 GMT Erase the Designer to Developer gap: Adding interactions to your design with Serge Jespers
June 7th – 15:00 – 16:00 GMT Connecting your design to PHP services with Mihai Corlan
June 8th – 12:00 – 13:00 GMT Connecting a web application to a J2EE backend using Flash Builder 4 with Michael Chaize
June 8th – 15:00 – 16:00 GMT Working with Flash CS5 components in your Flash Builder 4 project with Mike Jones
June 9th – 12:00 – 13:00 GMT Going multi-user with P2P in Flash Player 10.1 with Tom Krcha
June 9th – 15:00 – 16:00 GMT Developing multi-user applications with LiveCycle services with Tom Krcha
June 10th – 12:00 – 13:00 GMT Bringing web Applications to the desktop with AIR 2.0 with Piotr Walczyscyn
Jun 10th – 15:00 – 16:00 GMT Code once and run on multiple mobile devices with Mark Doherty
We've been busy for the past week building "EVA" to demonstrate all of the above. I think you'll be really impressed with it and of course we'll be providing the code after for you to use in your own applications.


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as of 08/14/2020
2012 2011 November August July June May April March February January 2010 2009 2008 2007 2006 2005 Subscribe to News
Daily and weekly real estate news, trends, NAR press releases, convention coverage, plus exclusive features and columns.
RSS Feed
Get the Daily Real Estate News delivered straight to your desktop or news aggregator. (New to RSS? Learn the basics here.)
How did you sell it?
Tell us how you overcame hurdles to sell a challenging or very unique listing!


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Why Arena Eye Surgeons is Your Top Choice for Lasik, Glaucoma, Corneal, and Cataract Treatments in Grove City, Ohio
When it comes to your eyesight, make sure you are getting the best possible care. Our professionals Arena Eye Surgeons are dedicated in giving their patients the highest possible care you should expect. Our surgeons specialize in Lasik procedures, cataract surgeries, corneal and glaucoma treatments.
Professional Lasik Surgeons in Grove City, Ohio.
Your eyesight is very important to you. At Arena Eye Surgeons, your care is the doctors and staff's top priority. The doctors are certified and highly experienced. They are well-trained in the most up-to-date procedures and equipment. Lasik or refractive surgery often eliminates the need for glasses or contacts by correcting vision problems such as nearsightedness, farsightedness, and astigmatism. Make an appointment to see if you are a candidate.
Cataract Surgeons helping Grove City, Ohio residents.
Cataracts cause a cloudy film over the eye, making it very difficult to see properly. The doctors at Arena Eye Surgeons use a surgical procedure known as Extracapsular Cataract Extraction, which removes the cataract. If you are affected by poor vision and have symptoms of cataracts, call and make an appointment today.
Advanced Glaucoma Treatments in Grove City, Ohio.
Glaucoma is the leading cause of blindness. It usually affects adults and the chance increases as you age. Glaucoma doesn't always have clear symptoms, but it can lead to a medical emergency if not treated. Everyone should be checked for glaucoma at regular eye exams. There are several options when treating glaucoma. If you are diagnose with this disease, call the Arena Eye Surgeons' office and make an appointment as quickly as possible to begin the treatment right for you.
For Lasik surgery, glaucoma and cataract treatments, Arena Eye Surgeons is your top choice. Their surgeons have treated thousands of patients for these procedures and can help you have better vision.
At Arena Eyes Surgeons, "Arena Eye Surgeons is dedicated to the highest quality patient care with respect and compassion–One Patient At A Time."," is their motto. Make us your top choice by making an appointment today. We have two convenient locations.
Our office in Columbus is located at 262 Neil Avenue, Suite 320. You may call this office at (614) 228-4500.
Our other office is located at 551 West Central Avenue, Suite 101 in Delaware. The telephone number for the Delaware office is (740) 368-5500.
If you're located out of these areas, please call our toll free number at (888) 372-3937.
Grove City Area, Ohio Chamber of Commerce


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Alexandria The Miracle League of Alexandria began its 2012 season April 22 with a ceremony at the Lee Center field that included the presentation of several checks that will help fund a new Miracle Field.
"This is not just a field, it will be a destination," said Miracle League president Bill Rivers. "The neighbors have been very supportive and depending on the cost, we may even be able to add lights."
Owen Malone of the Alexandria Rugby Club and O'Connell's Restaurant presented a $1,000 check to the Miracle League while President of Alexandria Little League Bill Gehrig and executive director of the Alexandria Soccer Association Tommy Park each presented checks of $5,000 to the league.
"I have a brother with autism and have seen him benefit greatly from programs like the Miracle League," Park said. "We have our own soccer program for special needs participants and are excited to see this field come to be."
The Kelley Cares Foundation presented a check for $10,000 on behalf of the upcoming Kelley Cares Race next month.
"We hope to commit another $30,000 to the project," said Lindsay foundation spokesperson Lindsay Swanson. "The more runners that participate in our race, the more we will be able to support the Miracle League and the construction of the field."
Construction on the synthetic turf field, developed specifically for use by special needs athletes, will begin in July and is expected to be completed in October.
Members of the T.C. Williams baseball team joined Mayor Bill Euille on the field for the first pitch followed by cheerleaders from the Mount Vernon Recreation Center to lead off the game. Members of the Psi Nu Chapter of Omega Psi Phi fraternity again donated the food for league players and visitors.
"We wanted to give the players a feeling of being at the ball park," said fraternity member Laverne Short. "This is our second year and we love doing this for the kids."
The Kelley Cares Foundation Road Race will be held May 19 at 8 a.m. at George Washington Middle School. All proceeds from the road race will go to the construction of the Miracle Field at the Lee Center. For race information visit www.kelleycares.org.
For more information on the Miracle League, visit www.miracleleagueofalexandria.com.


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Cool Visco Memory Foam gives you all of the conforming, comforting features of regular memory foam and combines them with the cooling effects of gel.
The Women's Choice Award recognizes retailers who are committed to fostering strong relationships with their female consumer base.
Mattress can be used on an adjustable base.
The 400 Series 12 Queen 12" Gel Memory Foam Mattress and Deluxe Adjustable Base by Restonic at Town and Country Furniture in the Hamburg, Buffalo, Lackawanna, Eden, NY area. Product availability may vary. Contact us for the most current availability on this product.
The 400 Series Memory Foam Mattress, by Restonic, is an all foam, quality, affordable mattress. This great value priced mattress gives you a top 4" layer of Gel Memory Foam, molding to your shape, relieving pressure and helping sleep cooler for a good nights sleep.
The 400 Series 12 collection is a great option if you are looking for Mattresses in the Hamburg, Buffalo, Lackawanna, Eden, NY area.
Browse other items in the 400 Series 12 collection from Town and Country Furniture in the Hamburg, Buffalo, Lackawanna, Eden, NY area.
This item has been tagged as: Mattress Set, Mattress, Queen Mattress Set, King Mattress Set, California King Mattress Set, Full Mattress Set , Twin Mattress Set, Twin Size Set, Full Size, Set Queen Size Set, King Size Set, California King Size Set, Mattresses
Nothing on this page may be copied or reproduced without explicit permission.


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Assembly Democrats, Republicans to pick leaders
Leaders will take over in January
MADISON, Wis. — State Rep. Robin Vos of Burlington is expected to be elected as the next speaker of the state Assembly when Republicans meet to choose their leaders for the next session.
Both Assembly Republicans and Democrats are meeting separately on Tuesday to elect their leaders for the session that begins in January.
No one has announced that they plan to challenge Vos as speaker, Rep. Scott Suder as majority leader or Rep. Bill Kramer as speaker pro tempore, the person in charge of presiding over the Assembly. Both Suder and Kramer served in those positions last session. Vos would take over for Jeff Fitzgerald, who ran for the U.S. Senate instead of seeking re-election.
On the Democratic side, Rep. Peter Barca of Kenosha is expected to be re-elected as minority leader.


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When you co-sign any type of loan, you are taking on the risk the lender
would not; ensuring that the person you co-sign for is going to make the
payments. If they do not, you are going to be responsible for the owed debt.
When determining if you should co-sign a loan for someone, you need to consider
the following:
– Will you be able to pay the loan if the borrower goes into default? If
you can not, not only will your credit be adversely affected, you can be sued by
the lending creditor.
– When you co-sign a loan, your chances for obtaining approval for a loan for
your own personal use Declines because of your current obligation. More
specifically, the debt you co-sign for is considered your debt.
– If you secure the loan you co-sign for with some sort of personal
property, ie your home or car, you run the risk of having these items taken
away from you if the loan goes into default and you can not pay.
– If the borrower does not pay their loan, not only will you become
responsible for the debt, you are also going to be responsible for any of the
late fees and collections associated with the over-due debt.
You should also do the following when co-signing a loan:
– Get in touch with the lender and make sure that you will be contacted in
writing as soon as soon as the borrower is late on a payment. This will give you
time to get in touch with the borrower and fix the situation before the account
goes into collections. If the account does enter into collections, you will be
responsible for paying off the entire debt at one time.
– Get a hold of copies of all the stipulations and terms of the loan.
Some More Advice to Follow If You Are Going to Co-Sign a Loan
Prior to co-signaling, you should contact the creditor to see if your can
negotiate your liability if the loan goes into default. More specifically, you
can have your liability changed so that you only are obliged to pay only the
loan balance and not any other late fees. It is always a good idea to get any
final, negotiated Clauses in writing.
What Are the Benefits of Being a Loan Co-signer?
Co-singing a loan can be a good idea if you are certain that the borrower is
going to repay the money. For example, co-signaling makes sense if you are
the parent of a child with no credit, but a steady income, looking to buy a home
for the first time. You will help your child get the mortgage financing them
are looking for, while helping build their credit rating.
It is very common for someone's credit to be adversely affected as a result of
divorce. This will hurt their ability to get approved for loans and credit even
though they have a steady income. Co-singing a small personal loan in this
instance will help them re-establish their credit.
In conclusion …
As mentioned, there are instances when co-signing a loan is harmless.
However, the majority of the time, it is a very risky move. As a matter of fact,
studies have shown that co-signers end up paying the debt of the borrower 80% of
the time. When co-signing any loan for any purpose, friend of family, PROCEED


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NEW YORK, Wed Sep 12, 2012 – A Citigroup Inc. unit must pay more than $1.4 million to an investor for losses tied to a municipal bond that was marketed as "safe," but was steeped in risky derivative securities, according to an arbitration ruling.
Margaret Hill of New York City had requested more than $3.5 million in damages for losses stemming from Citi's Rochester Municipal Fund, according to a Financial Industry Regulatory Authority arbitration award. She filed the case in 2011, alleging that Citigroup Global Markets Inc sold her unsuitable investments and misrepresented facts, among other things, according to the ruling, dated Sept. 5.
Hill initially owned individual municipal bond funds, but bought the Rochester Fund in 2007 after Citigroup recommended it as a "safe" alternative to her funds that would pay slightly more interest, according to Hill's lawyer, Steven Caruso of Maddox, Hargett & Caruso, P.C. in New York. Instead, the fund consisted mainly of risky derivative securities and tobacco bonds, Caruso said.
The value of derivative securities depends on the performance of underlying assets which can wildly fluctuate. Hill lost $2.9 million when she sold the funds in 2009.
The case highlights questionable sales practices that can affect a range of investors. Wealthy investors, in particular, are often asked to defend their investment choices by brokerage lawyers in arbitration cases, said Caruso, because of a false assumption that they must have a deeper understanding of what they are buying than an average investor. Wall Street often mistakenly equates wealth with financial know-how, Caruso said.
A Citigroup spokeswoman was not immediately available for comment.


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Reason: This is a well known problem with Asus laptop. It seems that the generic camera driver in Windows 7 is not compatible with Asus' camera. I have here an Asus K501J series laptop and when I view my camera in Yahoo Messenger, the output is upside down.
Solution: Download the updated driver from Asus support site. Search for your laptop model, and try every camera driver listed. There are usually 4 camera drivers listed/available. So, if the first did not work, try the next one.
Solution 2: Edit Windows Registry. Go to: HKEY_LOCAL_MACHINE\SOFTWARE\Sunplus SPUVCb\VIDEOPROCAMP. Change VFlip value to 1.
Solution 3: If you're having problems in downloading your webcam driver, download and install ManyCam. This program is free and can flip and rotate your camera output. Also works with Gtalk, Skype, and other programs.
Known Asus laptop models with this issue:G50VT-X, G51Jx, W7J, G1S, N50v, M70, Asus X53Ka, N10J, N10jh, K50, K50IE, K50IJ, Asus G50Vt-X1, ASUS laptop G50 vt, Asus K60i, ASUS U50F & K60I (K60IJ), Asus Pro71L notebook, Asus G50vt,asus G50Vt, ASUS N50VC laptop, Asus x59sl,


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Aqua Multicolor Big Flower V-Neck Button Down to Waist, Ankle Length, Cinched Waist Caftan-D13 fabric Code
Caftans are our specialty and were one of the original products to launch our business. We offer several different styles and lengths and we tailor them to your height. Shikha has been making them for years and, as with all of our items, you will not find better craftsmanship. They are designed to be one size fits most and are very flattering on all body types. This one is our button down to waist style. It was designed as part of our maternity line especially with expecting and nursing moms in mind. Since they are a free size, they are excellent for maternity wear and will carry most women throughout their entire pregnancy. Than, they are excellent for continued use when baby arrives as they can be unbuttoned for easy access when nursing.
We have also found that this style has been very popular with brides who prefer the free size caftan style for their bridesmaids as the button down opening allows you to take it on and off without messing your hair/make-up. As with our standard V-neck caftan, it also has a convenient drawstring waist for adjustable styling. All of our Caftans are very versatile in that you can also wear them for loungewear, as a beach cover up, or you can even dress them up a bit with the proper shoes and jewelry to wear as a summer dress. Please see below for more details and a list of additional caftan styles in our shop.
-Material is 100% mulmul which is a very fine variation of cotton that is luxuriously soft. It holds up well to use and gets even softer with each wash.
-The width of the Caftans is 38 inches (76 circumference) and will fit up to a size 3X with roomy comfort. (Please contact us via email to inquire about additional Queen sizes which are available in certain fabric pattern options).
-You will be asked for your height once you have selected this item so that it can be tailored especially to your measurements.
-Please note that there might be slight color variation due to differences in computer screens.
-This item is made by Shikha in her professional design studio located in Mumbai.
-Delivery time: One to Two weeks.
*Please note that if you like this garment but would prefer it in another color that you can not find on our site, please see our FABRIC CATALOG for additional choices as well as our Customization Services section for ordering instructions. We specialize in customization and will make every attempt to accommodate requests. We also encourage you to contact us with any other questions or assistance.*
LIST OF ADDITIONAL STYLES: (please browse our shop)
-V-neck button down front to waist (perfect for maternity wear and nursing)
- V-neck button down front to bottom (perfect for hospital wear and any other occasion when you would like to have a full frontal opening in the Caftan vs. the Kimono Robe style)
-V-neck button down back (made for hospital wear as most hospitals require a back opening if you are not wearing their traditional tie back gowns)
*All of our Caftan Styles come in both knee or ankle length*


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Benefits of Ford Protect
A Ford Protect Extended Warranty plan tailored to suit your needs and driving habits offers you plenty of benefits. If a part covered by the warranty fails due to a material or manufacturing defect during the warranty period, we will cover the full costs of the repair or replacement, i.e. labour and parts cost including VAT.
Benefits for the future:
The warranty tailored to suit you
We all have our own highly individual habits, and everyone spends a different amount of time in their car. As a result, everyone also has different requirements from the warranty protection on their vehicle.
With Ford you can extend your warranty by purchasing a Ford Protect Extended Warranty plan that gives you just the right amount of protection. Ford has the right solution to meet your warranty needs, whatever Ford model you own, however many kilometers you drive a year and whatever amount of cover you want.
With a Ford Protect Extended Warranty plan, put together exclusively for Ford drivers, you can receive comprehensive cover for unexpected repair costs on all major vehicle parts for up to 5 years.
Plus, if that is not enough, Ford also offers Ford Assistance – offering guaranteed mobility across Europe.
We meet your needs
At Ford your needs take priority. As such Ford provides 2-year unlimited mileage New Vehicle Warranty for all Ford cars, light and medium-duty commercial vehicles at no extra charge.
Warranty cover Ford Protect is an extension of the 2-year New Vehicle Warranty.
The warranty covers:
Ford Protect Extended Warranty
Quality and dependability are no doubt two of the main reasons why you choose to drive a Ford in the first place. With a Ford Protect Extended Warranty you can have the peace of mind that could mean no more repair bills on covered components for up to 5 years after the warranty start date, leaving you to get on with enjoying your Ford experience.
The right choice for your Ford with Ford Protect you can be confident that your vehicle is in the best of hands, as no one knows your Ford better than we do. What is more, with Ford Protect you can significantly increase the resale value of your vehicle as the term remaining on your Ford Protect Extended Warranty plan can be transferred to the new owner.
We will be pleased to help you choose your tailor-made Ford Protect Extended Warranty plan.
The following are excluded from Ford Protect cover:
Please see your Service Guide or Ford Protect documents for detailed information on the terms and conditions of Ford Protect and Ford Assistance.


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This Bay Area course is very popular due to its gorgeous scenery and wildlife. A creek comes into play on 13 holes. The greens are gently sloped and soft enough to hold shots. Some of the greens are multi-level
Tilden Park Golf Course offers golfers an experience you won't find anywhere else in the Bay Area. Located in the scenic Berkeley Hills, just minutes away from the UC Berkeley campus, this William Park Bell Jr. design features a challenging 18-hole, par 70 course. Tilden Park's signature first hole, a 420-yard par 4 straight uphill to an elevated green, is considered to be one of toughest starting holes in the Bay Area.
18-hole Championship Golf Course Full service driving range Professional golf instructions Complete Pro Shop Practice putting green Tournament Accommodations Bar and Grill
Stand on the stern of Balclutha, face west to feel the fresh wind blowing in from the Pacific Ocean. Located in the Fisherman's Wharf neighborhood, San Francisco Maritime National Historical Park offers the sights, sounds, smells and stories of Pacific Coast maritime history.
Rosie the Riveter/World War II Home Front National Historical Park, located in the wartime boomtown of Richmond, California, preserves and interprets the stories and places of our nation's home front response to World War II.
For 218 years, the Presidio served as an army post for three nations. World and local events, from military campaigns to the rise of aviation, from World Fairs to earthquakes, left their mark. Come enjoy the history and beauty of the Presidio. Explore centuries of architecture. Reflect in a national cemetery. Walk through an historic airfield, forests, or to beaches, and admire spectacular vistas.
The prestigious Presidio golf course opened for public play in 1995 and has quickly gained a reputation as one of the nation's top public courses. Located just minutes from downtown San Francisco, this 18-hole course plays 6,500 yards of challenging golf winding through beautiful Eucalyptus and Monterey Pine trees in The City's trademark hills
Originally built in 1933 as a way to aid unemployed laborers during the Depression and named San Mateo Municipal, the course is home to the San Mateo County Championship and the O'Brien Junior Tournament, which has had such notable past winners as PGA Tour Professionals Johnny Miller, Keith Clearwater, and Mark Lye.
Whether it's family fun, unique shopping, an up-close look at California's playful sea lions, an encounter with a street performer or delightful dining, San Francisco's PIER 39 is the place to be -- for PIER FUN!
Opened in 1960, 18 holes, Semi-Private course Designer: William F. Bell Redesigner: Forest Richardson and Company, 2007 course Style: Parkland
"This is the best tree-lovers monument that could possibly be found in all the forests of the world," declared conservationist John Muir when describing the majestic coast redwoods of Muir Woods.
At Monarch Bay Golf Club you will discover the atmosphere of a fine golf venue, one that ensures your day will be a memorable occasion. Set just feet from the San Francisco Bay, the Monarch Bay Golf Course provides ideal course conditions, stunning views of the Peninsula and 18 challenging holes of golf making it one of the best values in the Bay Area. Our mission is to provide first-class facilities and services to the golf community and operate with the highest standards of integrity and professionalism.
If you want to find out what makes playing what Johnny Miller describes as an 'American Links,' come play The Metropolitan Golf Links. "Metropolitan Golf Links will test all level of players and will become a championship-links that offers a great golf experience and spectacular views of the San Francisco Bay." Johnny Miller
Holes 15 through 18 have magnificent views. From 15 you get a breathtaking look at downtown Oakland, the Bay Bridge and San Francisco. Flip side is that it is the ultimate sucker hole. Only 259 from the blues and 245 from the whites, everyone pulls out the driver at least once to take a shot. No problem. Just don't pull it, or you end up somewhere on the 16th fairway, and very O.B. Oh, and don't slice, or you might as well be in the bay. A great risk-reward hole.
"Everyone mount up!" This became a familiar call from Spanish Captain Juan Bautista de Anza. In 1776, as Americans fought for their independence in the East, Anza led almost 300 people over 1200 miles to settle Alta California. It was the first overland route established to connect New Spain with San Francisco. Walk in their footsteps from Nogales, Arizona to San Francisco, California.
John Muir was many things, inventor, immigrant, botanist, glaciologist, writer, co-founder of the Sierra Club, fruit rancher. But it was John Muir's love of nature, and the preservation of it, that we can thank him for today. Muir convinced President Teddy Roosevelt to protect Yosemite (including Yosemite Valley), Sequoia, Grand Canyon and Mt. Rainier as National Parks.
Harding Park's layout follows the original routing as designed by architect Willie Watson in 1925. The course takes advantage of the property's existing topography, contours and vegetation. The predominant features include the towering Monterey Cypress trees and the nearby presence of Lake Merced. Harding's strategy and character have been substantially enhanced with the inclusion of several carefully placed bunkers and re-contoured green complexes.
Golden Gate National Recreation Area (GGNRA) chronicles two hundred years of history, from the Native American culture, the Spanish Empire frontier and the Mexican Republic, to maritime history, the California Gold Rush, the evolution of American coastal fortifications, and the growth of urban San Francisco.
At Franklin Canyon Golf Course, it is our goal to provide an enjoyable experience. We strive to exceed our guests' expectations through our attention to detail, outstanding course and clubhouse conditions, and professional service. Through our hard work and dedication to our core values, we will stand out as the local golf course where quality meets affordability.
From its vantage point overlooking the spectacular Golden Gate, Fort Point protected San Francisco harbor from Confederate & foreign attack during & after the U.S. Civil War. Its beautifully arched casemates display the art of the master brick mason from the Civil War period.
The first dam was built here in 1888 to create a reservoir, part of the San Francisco watershed, that fills a portion of the rift valley of the San Andreas Fault. The course came later, in 1924, the design of William Herbert Fowler, a noted British golf architect who pioneered in designing courses that naturally followed the lay of the land as does Crystal Springs. Besides working on many famous courses in the British Isles, Fowler did golf designs on the East and West coasts of the United States.
When we say Chuck Corica Golf Center takes golf to new heights we are not just talking about the spectacular tree lined fairways of the Earl Fry course, or the rolling windswept fairways of the Jack Clark Course. You'll find our pro shop stocked with some of the finest brands in the business, and our friendly staff takes hospitality to new heights. Come play, stay or celebrate and we'll take your day to new heights as well!
Alcatraz Island offers a close-up look at the site of the first lighthouse and US fort on the West Coast, the infamous federal penitentiary long off-limits to the public, and the 18 month occupation by Indians of All Tribes which saved the tribes. Rich in history, there is also a natural side to the Rock - gardens, tide pools, bird colonies, and bay views beyond compare.
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Incumbent Governor Neil Abercrombie conceded defeat on Saturday as Hawaii voters overwhelmingly backed his challenger in the state's Democratic primary, even as local authorities and residents cleaned up debris from a tropical storm and tried to prepare for an approaching hurricane.
With two-thirds of the votes counted, Abercrombie trailed his opponent, state Senator David Ige, by 66.5 percent to 30.5 percent.
Appearing before supporters to make his concession speech, the governor recalled his decades of public service.
"For 40 years going back to 1974 ... every waking breath that I've taken, every thought I had before I slept, was for Hawaii," Abercrombie said.
The loss by Abercrombie, who was endorsed by Hawaii-born President Obama, marked the first defeat for an incumbent Democratic governor in Hawaii since it was granted statehood in 1959, potentially re-arranging the political landscape before the US general election in November.
"I'm stunned at these numbers. It's a two-to-one margin," said Chad Blair, a political reporter and lecturer at the University of Hawaii at Manoa.
Ige had surged to a double-digit lead in polls even though Abercrombie raised far more money and could point to a thriving state economy.
Abercrombie took a break from campaigning this week to deal with the approach of Iselle.
"The governor got a lot of free airtime," Blair said. "He was in his commander-in-chief role, very much leading the state's response."
All but two polling stations on the east coast of the island of Hawaii, also known as the Big Island, opened on Saturday morning, election officials said. Iselle weakened from a hurricane to a tropical storm before it struck the Big Island on Thursday and later lost more force as it pushed past Hawaii.
As thousands of residents scrambled to clear away debris from the storm, officials warned against complacency given the extent of the disruption and the uncertainty over the path of the bigger storm hurtling toward them.
Hurricane Julio, which was downgraded to a Category 2 storm on Friday, was packing maximum winds of 100 mph (155 kph) as it churned about 415 miles (668 km) off the Big Island city of Hilo and 685 miles (1,100 km) east of Honolulu, the state capital, the National Weather Service said on Saturday.
Forecasts showed Julio probably tracking about 250 miles (402 km) northeast of Hilo on Sunday morning, meteorologists said.
There were no reports of major injuries from Iselle, a relief to a state that depends on tourism. The American Red Cross on Saturday closed its shelters, where more than 150 people had spent the night and where about 2,000 people took refuge at the height of the storm, a spokeswoman said.
About 9,200 customers on the Big Island are still without power, a utility company said, warning outages could extend for days or even weeks.
Political tempest
Before the vote, analysts said that it was unusual for an incumbent governor to struggle given a strong economy, tourism and low unemployment.
A late July poll of 458 likely voters conducted for the Honolulu Star-Advertiser put Ige well ahead of Abercrombie at 54 percent to 36 percent. The incumbent dismissed the numbers, saying that Hawaii polls have often failed to presage actual results.
Supporters say Abercrombie has achieved much, signing gay marriage legislation into law, helping to negotiate a North Shore land conservation deal and championing development in downtown Honolulu.
"At times, I've had to make difficult decisions that weren't always popular," Abercrombie told supporters.
The primary winner will face Independent and Republican candidates in November's general election.


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Lock Pins
You selected:Glacier Bay LAB C & R Enterprises Clear All Refinements
0.0180 in. L driver pin. Sold in packs of 100. Made from full hard brass.
- Original manufacturing pins that meet or exceed industry standards
- Color coded brass pins for ease of use
- Quality made since 1956 from full hard brass
- Custom packaging unique to the industry allowing the use of each side
- 0.115 in. Dia for standard Kwikset cylinders
- Meets or exceeds industry standards
#5 Master Pin. Sold in Packs Of 100. Color coded to industry standards. Meets or exceeds industry standards.
- Brass material
- 0.115 in. Dia
- Quality since 1956
- Color coded pins meet or exceed industry standards
- Factory original pin
- Custom packaging


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The Kill-a-Watt Competition at University of Central Florida
You are here
CHRIS CASTRO: Last summer, I was an intern at the Department of Energy Office of Energy Efficiency and Renewable Energy and I got a chance to actually witness firsthand what we're doing at a national level for sustainability, energy efficiency and renewable energy. It gave me a great opportunity to learn as a student what I could do at my campus to outreach to these students and get them involved with the clean-energy economy.
My first link was actually was actually to work with UCF Sustainability in a – in a large energy competition called Kill-a-Watt.
ALEXANDRA KENNEDY: Residence halls are competing against each other of equal size to maintain a greater energy savings. At the end of each month, residents receive $50 scholarships from SGA for attending these events.
MARGARET LO: These are the 14 buildings that are achieving at least a 15 percent or greater reduction in energy savings – (off mic). Normally, we have it for a one-month period. This time, we extended it to 2 1/2 months and we wanted to encourage greater student awareness and engagement. So we're doing this seminar for people to learn more about how to save energy and how they can get rewards from doing great efforts.
DAVID NORVELL: In Central Florida, we're in a predominately in a cooling mode. So we would ask the students when we're in the cooling mode to be able to raise their set point to a number that's energy-conscious. Somewhere around 74 degrees is what we're looking for for a set point on cooling.
And then when they go to class, which – students are away most of the time during the day – raise that set point to raise that up to as much as 80 degrees.
MS. KENNEDY: When you're leaving for class, make sure to unplug your curling iron and blow dryer because not only does it waste a lot of energy, but it's a fire hazard.
MR. CASTRO: Another large energy consumer is appliances that we plug into the wall. And the problem is, is a lot of the times, whether or not they're plugged into an actual appliance, they're using power, like, through something called vampire or phantom power. Plug this in to a power cord and when not in use – let's say you go to class – you can simply turn this power cord right off, shutting off the energy to all of these plugs and allowing us to conserve just that much more while you're in class.
Pressing that elevator button uses energy automatically. If you start using the stairs, not only is it energy-conservative, but it actually is good for you.
In 2009, we did the Kill-a-Watt Competition in the month of February, where we saved an average of 50 percent in each building and a total of $27,000 in our housing complexes.
KEITH COELHO: Students noticed overall really good savings. It's not necessarily based on the building or habits. It's more or less the – we've noticed that it does change each year. Some buildings you get a little bit more support and coverage from the students; you get a little bit more effort, you should say. But overall we've seen really good savings from a lot of the buildings. We have several winners every year that reach the tier of, say, 20 (percent) or 18 (percent) to 20, sometimes even a little bit more than that, percent savings.
MR. CASTRO: That last month, if your building does 20 percent, you actually can turn in a nest egg for $200 and – (inaudible) –
MS.: When you save like 15 (percent) or 20 percent of energy, and that next time if you – they're going to a next, like, drawing or something for the next building that saves more and that we could possibly, like, win stuff and – (off mic) –
MS.: Please save some more money –
MS.: Please –
MS.: – because I don't want to tuition hikes.
MS.: Me, neither.
MS.: I still have a little time left here and – (off mic) –
MS.: Me, too.
MS.: So I just want them to save money and just –
MS.: Knock my tuition down.
MR. CASTRO: When it came down to it, the savings that we saw in these – in these buildings were very small tasks performed by the students that collectively led to a drastic savings of $27,000 and an average of 50 percent.
JOHN HITT: It just is a wonderful way of helping them appreciate the numerous ways in which we can save and conserve energy. You know, (your ?) – the big energy problems we're facing, some will be solved by big advances in technology, but a lot are going to be solved by the constant attention to detail, the little ways that we can all save and conserve energy.