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Thursday August 13, 2020
Article of the Month
Substantiation Requirements for Charitable Contributions, Part IV
The Internal Revenue Service requires donors who claim charitable income tax deductions to substantiate the value of their charitable contributions. Donors may not understand the specific substantiation requirements when making charitable donations. The Service's substantiation rules are strict, and if these rules are not closely followed, a donor may lose his or her entire charitable deduction. Advisors should be prepared to explain these requirements, guide their clients through the process of substantiating charitable gifts and work with charities to meet the Service's requirements.
This article series explores the substantiation requirements for charitable contributions. Part IV of this series will review the final regulations for qualified appraisals. This series will discuss the specific requirements to meet the Service's qualified appraisal standards. By understanding the substantiation rules under the final regulations, advisors can help ensure that their clients obtain qualified appraisals to substantiate their charitable donations.
Qualified Appraisal Requirements
On July 27, 2018, the Internal Revenue Service published final regulations on the requirements for qualified appraisals and qualified appraisers. The final regulations are effective for charitable contributions made on or after January 1, 2019 and may be relied upon for appraisals prepared for returns or submissions filed after August 17, 2006. Reg. 1.170A-17(c). For a full discussion of when a qualified appraisal is required see Parts II and III of this series.
The Service's definition of a qualified appraisal is "an appraisal document that is prepared by a qualified appraiser." Reg. 1.170A-17(a)(1). The appraisal must comply with "generally accepted appraisal standards" and the remaining requirements contained in paragraph (a). Reg. 1.170A-17(a)(1).
For donations of items not in a group of similar items of property, the donor is required to obtain a separate qualified appraisal for each item. Reg. 1.170A-17(a)(7). A similar item of property is defined as "property of the same generic category or type." The Service provides examples of category groups in Reg. 1.170A-13(c)(7)(iii).
ExampleA qualified appraisal may be acquired as early as 60 days prior to the date of the charitable contribution, but no later than the due date of the tax return, including any extensions. Reg. 1.170A-17(a)(4). A qualified appraisal must be received by the donor prior to the due date, including any extensions, of the tax return on which the charitable tax deduction is first claimed. Reg. 1.170A-17(a)(8). The same timing applies if the charitable deduction is passed through from a partnership or S Corporation to the individual taxpayer. If a charitable deduction is first claimed on an amended tax return, the qualified appraisal must be received by the date on which the amended return is filed. Reg. 1.170A-17(a)(8).
Rose, an avid art enthusiast, visited many museums and art collections. Over time, Rose became quite the art collector, with various beautiful paintings proudly displayed in her home. She found that she was running out of wall space. Rose wanted to continue supporting the arts. She decided it was the right time to donate her Impressionist art collection to her favorite charity. She had owned all of the paintings for over a year. Later that same year, she decided to contribute her Realist art collection, which she acquired in the early 1980's, to the same charity. In response to an end of the year campaign conducted by her favorite charity, Rose decided to donate a photograph collection she purchased some time ago.
When Rose inquired about an appraisal, she was informed that she would need two qualified appraisals. One appraisal valued the Impressionist and Realist art collections and the other valued the photographs. The appraisal of the paintings was permissible because all of the art in each collection was comprised of paintings and thus satisfied the Service's definition of "similar items of property." Reg. 1.170A-13(c)(7)(iii). The photographs did not satisfy the meaning of the "same generic category or type," which is why she was required to obtain a separate appraisal for that donation.
Information About the Property
A qualified appraisal must contain a sufficiently detailed description of the property, taking into account the value of the property, so that a person not "generally familiar" with the type of property could ascertain that the appraised property is the contributed property. Reg. 1.170A-17(a)(3)(i)(A). If the appraised property is real estate or tangible personal property, the qualified appraisal must describe the condition of the property. Reg. 1.170A-17(a)(3)(i)(B).
If the property donated to charity is a partial interest, the qualified appraisal must be of the partial interest. Reg. 1.170A-17(a)(12). If a donor wishes to fund a charitable remainder trust with real estate, the entire property must be appraised, because the entire property will be donated. The deduction factors will then be applied to the full fair market value of the property to calculate the donor's charitable contribution. On the other hand, if a donor wishes to donate only a 10% undivided interest in the remainder of a property, the qualified appraisal must be of the contributed portion. Namely, the qualified appraisal would value the 10% undivided interest in the remainder of the property. Rev. Rul. 87-37.
Qualified appraisals may be obtained prior to or even after the property is contributed to charity (see Parts I and II for a discussion of cash and noncash gift substantiation requirements). The qualified appraisal must state the valuation effective date, which may differ from the date of the appraisal. Reg. 1.170A-17(a)(3)(i)(C).
Qualified appraisals must determine the fair market value of the contributed property on the valuation effective date. Reg. 1.170A-17(a)(3)(i)(D). The fair market value is "the price at which the property would change hands between a willing buyer and a willing seller." Reg. 1.170A-1(c)(2).
Agreements Regarding Contributed Property
Due to the requirements of Form 8283, if a contributed property valued over $5,000 is disposed of within three years of the date of the gift, the charity is required to report that disposition to the Service on Form 8282. The reporting on Form 8282 may require the donor to reconsider the reported value of his or her charitable deduction. In some cases, the Service may challenge the value of the original charitable deduction if the Form 8282 value is vastly different from the claimed deduction amount.
Therefore, the final regulations require that if the donor and charity have entered an agreement or understanding that relates to the use, sale or other disposition of the contributed property, it must be disclosed in the qualified appraisal. Reg. 1.170A-17(a)(3)(ii). Qualified appraisals must list restrictions to the charity's right to use or dispose of the contributed property, even if it is a temporary restriction. Reg. 1.170A-17(a)(3)(ii)(A).
If the charity does not have the full power and authority to designate the recipient of the contributed property's income, possession or rights to acquire, this must be disclosed in the qualified appraisal. Reg. 1.170A-17(a)(3)(ii)(B). This includes whether or not the right to vote contributed securities is fully vested in the charity. Reg. 1.170A-17(a)(3)(ii)(B). Any earmarks or designations for a particular use must also be disclosed in the qualified appraisal. Reg. 1.170A-17(a)(3)(ii)(C). The appraisal must also list the expected date of the contribution. Reg. 1.170A-17(a)(3)(iii).
Information About the Appraiser
The Service requires the name, address and taxpayer identification number of the appraiser to be included in the qualified appraisal. Reg. 1.170A-17(a)(3)(iv)(A). The appraiser is not required to use his or her social security number, because that raises privacy and identity theft concerns. An appraiser may obtain an employer identification number (EIN) from the Service to comply with the taxpayer identification number requirements.
The appraiser's qualifications regarding the type of property being valued must be included in the qualified appraisal. Reg. 1.170A-17(a)(3)(iv)(B). This must include the appraiser's relevant education and experience. Reg. 1.170A-17(a)(3)(iv)(B). Appraiser qualifications will be explored in a forthcoming article.
The appraiser must disclose if he or she is acting in the capacity as a partner in a partnership, an employee of any person or as an independent contractor engaged by someone other than the donor. Reg. 1.170A-17(a)(3)(iv)(C). If the appraiser is acting in one of the above named capacities, the name, address and taxpayer identification number of the partnership or person employing the appraiser must be listed. Reg. 1.170A-17(a)(3)(iv)(C). A person engaging the services of the appraiser may be an individual, corporation or partnership.
Specific Information Requirements
The appraisal must include the signature of the appraiser and the appraisal report date. Reg. 1.170A-17(a)(3)(v). The appraisal must state that it was prepared for "income tax purposes." Reg. 1.170A-17(a)(3)(vii). If an appraisal is lacking any required information, the entire charitable deduction may be disallowed. The final regulations do not include exceptions for reasonable cause or substantial compliance. Thus, it is vital that the appraisal includes all of the required information.
The appraisal must include a specific declaration from the appraiser, found in Reg. 1.170A-17(a)(3)(vi), which reads as follows: "I understand that my appraisal will be used in connection with a return or claim for refund. I also understand that, if there is a substantial or gross valuation misstatement of the value of the property claimed on the return or claim for refund that is based on my appraisal, I may be subject to a penalty under section 6695A of the Internal Revenue Code, as well as other applicable penalties. I affirm that I have not been at any time in the three-year period ending on the date of the appraisal barred from presenting evidence or testimony before the Department of the Treasury or the Internal Revenue Service pursuant to 31 U.S.C. 330(c)."
Information About the Appraisal Process
The final regulations specifically name three valuation methods that may be used for determining the value of an asset for a qualified appraisal. These include the "income approach," the "market-data approach" and the "replacement-cost-less-depreciation" approach. Reg. 1.170A-17(a)(3)(viii). Using one of the three specifically mentioned valuation methods may be helpful to ensure that the appraisal meets the Service's regulations.
In addition to a valuation method, the appraisal must include the "specific basis" used for the valuation. Reg. 1.170A-17(a)(3)(ix). The specific basis may include specific comparable sales transactions or statistical sampling. Any basis for the valuation must include "justification" of the use of the sampling and an explanation of the procedures used for sampling. Reg. 1.170A-17(a)(3)(ix).
Timing of the Appraisal
The qualified appraisal must state the valuation effective date. Reg. 1.170A-17(a)(5)(i). The donor may obtain a qualified appraisal prior to or after donating property to charity. If an appraisal is obtained prior to the date of the gift, the valuation effective date on the appraisal must be no earlier than 60 days prior to the gift date and no later than the donation date. Reg. 1.170A-17(a)(5)(ii). If an appraisal is obtained on or after the donation date, the qualified appraisal must have a valuation effective date that matches the gift date. Reg. 1.170A-17(a)(5)(ii).
Appraisal Issues
The Service included warnings to donors in Reg. 1.170A-17. A donor may meet all of the requirements of the regulations in their appraisal, but if the donor withholds or misrepresents facts that may affect the value of the property, the appraisal will not be considered a qualified appraisal. Reg. 1.170A-17(a)(6). This rule applies even if the withheld or misstated facts did not affect the property's appraised value. If the Service makes a finding of a failure to disclose or a misrepresentation of facts, the qualified appraisal fails and the charitable deduction will be disallowed.
Donors must retain qualified appraisals "for as long as it may be relevant in the administration of any internal revenue law." Reg. 1.170A-17(a)(10). The cost of the qualified appraisal must not be dependent on the appraised value of the property. Reg. 1.170A-17(a)(9).
A qualified appraisal may be disregarded if at any time during the three-year period prior to the date on the appraisal the appraiser was prohibited from practicing before the Service under 31 U.S.C. Sec. 3330(c). Reg. 1.170A-17(a)(11). There is one narrow exception. If the appraisal meets all of the other qualified appraisal requirements and the donor has no knowledge that the signature, date or declaration of the appraiser was false when it was signed by the appraiser, then the appraisal will be considered a qualified appraisal, but the value of the asset will be disregarded. Reg. 1.170A-17(a)(11).
Advisors may be asked to assist their clients by finding a qualified appraiser for purposes of substantiating a charitable deduction. It is important for professional advisors to understand the qualified appraisal requirements under the final regulations.
Advisors and charities should be aware of the qualified appraisal requirements to ensure that appraisals are completed fully before they are submitted to the Service. It is essential that qualified appraisals are completed accurately and timely by an appropriate appraiser in order to allow donors to substantiate charitable deductions in the appropriate year.
Published August 1, 2019


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Internetwork Expert's December newsletter announces that their flagship workbook product is going to be updated:
Updated Routing & Switching Volume II Labs Start Releasing This Week
The newest updates to the Routing & Switching Volume II labs are being released in electronic format starting this week. The updates will automatically show up in your members site account as the labs are released.
The IE blog has a post up today with more detail:
This Friday the CCIE R&S Lab Meet-Up series kicks off with the new CCIE R&S Lab Workbook Volume 2 Version 5 Lab 1. The new lab will be posted on the members site on Thursday, and the lab meet-up starts at 9am Pacific time. The session should lab about 4 hours, depending on how many questions people have. Essentially I will be configuring and explaining the lab live on the command line, and going through the logic of the solutions in detail.
It's not too late to sign-up for the series, so contact our sales department if you have any questions. I hope to see you there!
It looks like IE will be releasing the new labs one lab at a time with a Lab Meet-Up scheduled for each lab to discuss the lab/solutions.

subset: commoncrawl


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Sunday, November 16, 2008
Totally useless but funny use of an accelerometer.
/Staffan Lincoln - 10/19/2007
Posted by Staffan Lincoln kl. 9:16 PM
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Here you will find videos about interaction design that inspire us, and make us go aah. Occasionally we will post our own ideas and inventions here too, if we think they are good enough. The purpose of the blog is to teach ourselves and others, in the hope that all this inspiration will lead to astonishing phones.
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TAT products are recognized for their time-to-market savings, resource efficiency and platform independence, giving users a more dynamic, faster and richer multimedia experience, in a truly astonishing way.
TAT is headquartered in
Learn more at www.tat.se.


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You may know what a VPN, or Virtual Private Network, is; you probably don't use one. Youreally should be using a VPN, and even if you don't think so now, at some point in the future you may consider it as important as your internet connection.
We've noticed a few things about VPN service providers. First, being the "best" is big business for VPN providers, and they'll fight dirty to be one of them. Second, there are so many VPN providers that it's difficult to choose a really good one. VPNs are not all created equally, and in this post, we're going to look at what a VPN is, why you want one, and how to pick the best one for you. Let's get started.
What Is a VPN?
Put simply, a Virtual Private Network, or VPN, is a group of computers (or discrete networks) networked together over a public network—namely, the internet. Businesses use VPNs to connect remote datacentres, and individuals can use VPNs to get access to network resources when they're not physically on the same LAN (local area network), or as a method for securing and encrypting their communications when they're using an untrusted public network. Photo by Pavel Ignatov (Shutterstock).
When you connect to a VPN, you usually launch a VPN client on your computer (or click a link on a special website), log in with your credentials, and your computer exchanges trusted keys with a far away server. Once both computers have verified each other as authentic, all of your internet communication is encrypted and secured from eavesdropping.
The most important thing you need to know about a VPN: It secures your computer's internet connection to guarantee that all of the data you're sending and receiving is encrypted and secured from prying eyes.
Whether the VPNs you're familiar with are the ones offered by your school or business to help you work or stay connected when you're travelling or the ones you pay to get you watch your favourite shows in another country as they air, they're all doing the same thing. For much more detail on what VPNs are, how they work, and how they're used, check out this How Stuff Works article.
Why You Need a VPN, or How You Can Benefit from Using One
A VPN alone is just a way to bolster your security and access resources on a network you're not physically connected to. What you choose to do with a VPN is a different story. Usually, VPN users fall into a few separate categories:
- The student/worker. This person has responsibilities to attend to, and uses a VPN provided by their school or company to access resources on their network when they're at home or travelling. In most cases, this person already has a free VPN service provided to them, so they're not exactly shopping around. Also, if they're worried about security, they can always fire up their VPN when using airport or cafe WI-Fi to ensure no one's snooping on their connection. Photo by Ed Yourdon.
- The downloader. Whether they're downloading legally or illegally, this person doesn't want on some company's witch-hunt list just because they have a torrenting app installed on their computer. VPNs are the only way to stay safe when using something like BitTorrent—everything else is just a false sense of security. Better safe than trying to defend yourself in court or paying a massive fine for something you may or may not have even done, right?
- The privacy minded and security advocate. Whether they're a in a strictly monitored environment or a completely free and open one, this person uses VPN services to keep their communications secure and encrypted and away from prying eyes whether they're at home or abroad. To them, unsecured connections mean someone's reading what you say
- The globetrotter. This person wants to programming live, without dealing with their crummy local networks. They want to check out their favourite TV shows as they air instead of waiting for translations or re-broadcasts (or watch the versions aired in other countries,) listen to location-restricted streaming internet radio, or want to use a new web service or application that looks great but for some reason is limited to a specific country or region.
- Some combination of the above. Odds are, even if you're not one of these people more often than not, you're some mix of them depending on what you're doing. In all of these cases, a VPN service can be helpful, whether it's just a matter of protecting yourself when you're out and about, whether you handle sensitive data for your job and don't want to get fired, or you're just covering your own ass from the MPAA.
Even if none of the above really sound right to you, you can still benefit from using a VPN. You should definitely use one when you travel or work on an untrusted network (read: a network you don't own, manage, or trust who manages.) That means opening your laptop at the coffee shop and logging in to Facebook or using your phone's Wi-Fi to check your email at the airport can all potentially put you at risk.
We've shown you how to build your own VPN for remote gaming and browsing that also protects your security, shown you how to make a VPN even more secure, and shown you dozens of services that operate free and paid VPNs you can sign up for and use. We've even put the question to you several times to tell us which VPN service providers you think are the best. So how do you pick a solid VPN service?
What Makes for a Good VPN?
The best VPNs offer a solid balance of features, server location, connectivity protocols, and price. Some are great for occasional use, others are geared towards getting around the location restrictions companies put on their apps and services, and others are targeted at people who do heavy downloading and want a little privacy while they do it. Here's what you should look for.
- Protocol: When you're researching a VPN, you'll see terms like SSL/TLS (sometimes referred to as OpenVPN support,) PPTP, IPSec, L2TP, and other VPN types. We asked Samara Lynn, Lead Analyst for Networking and Small Business at PCMag, whether or not a user shopping for a VPN should shop for one over another. "SSL is what is commonly used these days. All of these protocols will provide a secure connection," she explained, and pointed out that most solutions are invisible to the end-user anyway. Strictly, each protocol has its benefits and drawbacks, and if you're concerned about this (specifically, PPTP vulnerabilities,) you're probably already aware of them. Most users don't need to be concerned about this—corporate users on the other hand, are probably all using IPSec or SSL clients anyway.
- Corporate and Exit Locations: Depending on what you're using a VPN for, your service's location—and the exit locations you can choose—are important to consider. If you want to get around a location restriction and watch live TV in the UK, for example, you want to make sure your VPN service provider has servers in the UK. If you're concerned about privacy or state-sponsored snooping, you may want to pick a service operated outside of your home country. Similarly, if the service is based on the US, they're subject to US laws, and may be forced to turn over usage data to the authorities upon request. Many people make more of this than they should (we've seen overseas services turn over their data to friendly governments without any hesitation repeatedly), but it's important to make sure a VPN has servers in multiple locations—or at least the location you're interested in—when shopping.
- Logging: When you connect to a VPN, you're trusting the VPN service provider with your data. Your communications may be secure from eavesdropping, but other systems on the same VPN—especially the operator—can log your data if they choose. If this bothers you (e.g., you're the privacy/security advocate or the downloader), make absolutely sure you know your provider's logging policies before signing up. This applies to location as well—if your company doesn't keep logs, it may not matter as much where it's located. (There's a popular rumour that US-based VPN providers are required to log, in case the government wants them. This isn't true, but the government can always request whatever data they have if they do log.) For a good list of VPN providers that don't log your activities when connected (and many that do), check out this TorrentFreak article.
- Anti-Malware/Anti-Spyware Features: Using a VPN doesn't mean you're invulnerable. You should still make sure you're using HTTPS whenever possible, and you should still be careful about what you download. Some VPN service providers—especially mobile ones—bundle their clients with anti-malware scanners to make sure you're not downloading viruses or trojans. When you're shopping, see if the providers you're interested in offer anti-malware protection while you're connected. For example, previously mentioned Hotspot Shield offers malware protection to its premium users. It may not be a dealbreaker for you, but it's always good to have someone watching your back.
- Mobile Apps: If you're going to spend money on a VPN service provider (or even if you use a free one, frankly), you should be able to get a consistent experience across all of your devices. Most prominent providers offer desktop and mobile solutions for individual users, and while corporate and school networks may be a bit behind the curve here, they're catching up too. Make sure you don't have to use two different VPNs with two different policies and agreements just because you want to secure your phone along with your laptop.
- Price: Finally, go into your user agreement with both eyes open. You should read the privacy policy for the service you're interested in, and be very aware of the differences between free and paid services. For example:
- Free VPN Providers are more likely to log your activities and serve contextual ads while you're connected. They're also more likely to use your usage habits to tailor future ads to you, have fewer exit locations, and weak commitments to privacy. They may offer great features, but if logging and privacy are important to you, you may want to avoid them. However, if you just need quick, painless security while travelling on a budget, they're a great option.
- Subscription VPN Providers usually take your privacy a bit more seriously, since you're paying for the service. It's unusual for them to show ads, although whether they do logging or store data about your usage varies from company to company. They usually offer free trials so you can give the service a shot first, but remember: just because you're paying for a service doesn't mean you shouldn't do your homework.
A mix of features and price make a good VPN, but plenty of bad VPNs masquerade as good ones. Look for articles written by trustworthy sources that discuss the merits of each service based on its features, versus simple rundowns and user testimonials, which are almost always polluted by a combination of fanatical users and corporate bootstrapping in attempt to get their names out to potential customers.
Which VPNs Are The Best?
When we ran our recent Hive Five on VPN service providers, we heard from VPN providers begging to be included, angry CEOs who claimed their company was maliciously left out, and others accusing some of the contenders of illegal or unethical behaviour. We took at look at the poll and the claims, and while there's no definitive proof the poll was gamed, we decided to come up with our own top five, based on our own research rather than reader feedback, that are great whether you're the privacy advocate, the student, or the downloader.
Private Internet Access
Supports: Windows, OS X, Linux, iOS, Android
Protocols: SSL, PPTP, IPSec, and L2TP. You can also configure Private Internet Access to work on your DD-WRT or Tomato router (via SSL/OpenVPN) for constant security.
Home Country: United States, and has exit servers in the US, Canada, the UK, Switzerland, Romania, and the Netherlands.
Logging Policies: The service keeps no logs of your activity whatsoever (in fact, the only things they do keep are your email address and payment information,) uses shared IPs, and has committed to keeping your data private. Price: Pricing starts at £4/mo to £24/yr, and you can read more about their plans and pricing here.
Supports: Windows, OS X, iOS
Protocols: SSL, PPTP.
Home Country: United States, with exit servers in the US, The Netherlands, Singapore, and the UK.
Logging Policies: proXPN keeps minimal logs of your activity. proXPN collects your email address, payment information (if you're a premium user,) bandwidth usage, connection duration, and login/logout times. They've committed to only keeping those logs for 14 days or less, and promise to never share their logs with anyone, period.
Price: proXPN has a free plan, which limits your transfer speeds to 300kpbs and restricts you to one exit location (Miami) in the United States. Premium accounts unlock support for PPTP (if you want to connect a mobile device or a router,) remove the transfer cap, and allows you to choose from any of the company's other exit locations. Premium plans start at £6/mo, and you can read more about their pricing and plans here.
Supports: Windows, OS X, Linux, iOS, Android
Protocols: SSL (they often refer to it as OpenVPN), PPTP, and full SSH tunnelling.
Home Country: Hungary, with exit servers in Hungary.
Logging Policies: The service doesn't log your connection aside from bandwidth usage to compare against your quota, and your payment details. They also are committed to your privacy, and specifically say they won't surrender their data without a Hungarian court order.
Price: Free TorVPN users are limited to 1GB/mo downloaded before they're cut off, and Premium accounts start at 5 EUR/mo (£4 mo) for 5GB/mo and go up to 30 EUR/mo (£22/mo) for 100GB. Keep in mind they have a no-refunds policy, and that even though you ride the Tor network, they're a separate entity from the Tor Project. You can read more about their pricing and plans here.
Supports: Windows, OS X, Linux, and iOS and Android via built-in VPN
Protocols: SSL (OpenVPN), PPTP, and L2TP, (with 256 bit security)
Home Country: Panama, with exit servers in The Netherlands, Romania, Ukraine and Panama.
Logging Policies: TorGuard wholeheartedly supports privacy, so you can feel a bit more secure that your connection is secure and anonymous. They purge their logs daily, and only keep payment information and registration info. They don't even keep login/logout times.
Price: Depending on whether you're the privacy advocate, the downloader, or a combination of the two, TorGuard offers plans specifically for anonymity (starting at £3.50/mo), for torrenting (starting at £3/mo), or for overall VPN services (£6/mo). You can read more about TorGuard's pricing and plans here.
Supports: Windows, OS X, Linux, iOS, Android, webOS, Chromebooks.
Protocols: SSL, PPTP, IPSec, and L2TP (with 256 bit security)
Home Country: United States, with exit servers in 10 US cities, and countries in Latin and South America, Asia, Australia, Europe, Africa, and the Middle East—way too many to list here.
Logging Policies: WiTopia does not log information that can be attributable to individual users, purges logs weekly, and only saves registration information and payment details when you sign up.
Price: £30/yr to £42/yr depending on the level of encryption and protocols you need. They also sell a VPN router you can take with you when you travel. You can read more about WiTopia's pricing and plans here.
Alternatively, Roll Your Own VPN
We've shown you how to roll your own VPN using Hamachi, and even how to set up Privoxy to secure your web browsing once you have your personal VPN set up. Hamachi isn't the only option: you can also download and configure OpenVPN (a free SSL VPN) on your own home server,, or if you have a router that supports it, enable OpenVPN on your home router so you can connect back to it when you're abroad. Combined with Privoxy, you get the privacy and anonymity benefits of a VPN without spending a dime.
Both of these options put control in your hands, and while they're not quite as anonymous as subscription methods or offer international exit locations, they do give you the the most important benefits of a VPN: security, privacy, and anonymity while you're away from home.
Samara Lynn is Lead Analyst, Networking and Small Business at PCMag.com. You can follow her on Twitter at@samaralynn. She graciously volunteered her expertise for this post, and we thank her.
Title image remixed using konmesa (Shutterstock) and Toria (Shutterstock).


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Winter of Jordan
TORONTO — I have officially entered my offseason. Much like Costanza's "Summer of George!" on Seinfeld, this is the Winter of Jordan. It's time to take time off. After the grind of 162 games, I'm going to enjoy hours of lounging around in sweatpants and catching up on the reruns of Law & Order that I've missed over the past seven months.
I haven't blogged on here since I left Boston because, well, to paraphrase the great comedy Officespace, I've been doing absolutely nothing, and it's everything I thought it could be. But, seeing J.D. Drew's mug on my blog was getting a little old, so I figured I should toss something up here to hold down the fort.
Over the past few days, I've purchased the new Radiohead album "In Rainbows" which is pretty sweet. It's nice to hear them return some to their earlier sound — not that I didn't enjoy the likes of Amnesiac or Hail to the Thief, because those were killer albums, too. I also went and saw the movie "Into the Wild," which I thought was pretty good. Eddie Vedder did the music, which was enough for me.
I have managed to watch some baseball. It's actually been nice to sit and take in the World Series from my living room, not having to worry about writing stories for a change. Not that I'm complaining, but you sure to enjoy just sitting back and taking in a game after working so many. I'm looking forward to seeing how the Red Sox's revamped lineup fares in Colorado. I don't think the Rox are going to go down easy in Denver. I think the series will head back to Beantown for at least one game. We'll see.
Also, I know there's been some talk about the rumor that's going around about Jays prez and CEO Paul Godfrey stepping down from his position. According to Rogers, the rumor was simply mindless banter by one of the local radio personalities. According to one report, there was no basis to the rumor.
That's all for now. I've got a whole lot of nothing to get back to doing.
17 Comments
Jordan , thank you for the great job you do keeping us informed. Enjoy your lazy days , we all need them. Just don't go into comatose mode . Give us a post every once in awhile so we know you are still breathing . Take care and thank you again
Thank you for the tidbit on Robinson Diaz.
Snider is proving he's got the bat-this is tough competition in the Arizona Fall League. Now if they get his defence straightened away,he will be great. The kid is an rbi machine and we might see him sooner than we all think,in spite of the fact he's still only 19. You can follow Snider and other Jays players in the AFL (David Purcey, Rickie Romero, Jamie Vermilea, Justin James and Sergio Santos) at the following url:
You can track Robinson Diaz-our soon to be catcher at the following url:
I echo the same comments as Indigo above. Enjoy the winter!
Certainly, A-Rod had the right to opt out of his contract.
What I have difficulty with is his timing of the announcement-why the rush. This night belongs to The Red Sox and baseball-not A-Rod.
To announce today shows A-Rod's lack of class and feeling for the integrity of the game. It's all about me.
Watch the rats leave a sinking ship in New York.
How about Royce Clayton.
Loses a job as a jay this season and goes on to become a world series champion. (albeit as a bench player)
Yes, good for Clayton and Henske. At least one guy we were still paying won a ring this year. lol
So now we enter the A-Rod sweepstakes. It will be interesting to see who signs him. It might mean a short stop becomes available at a subsidized price from the team that signs him. Considering it could be Boston, Mets, Angeles or Giants,there might be a quality guy become available.
Clayton's Taco Bell advertisements in the dugout made me nauseous.
That is all.
Gotta say im pretty disapointed in the Jays not trading for Renteria, especially since his price tag was apparently so low. Feels like an early sign that the jays wont be competing next year. But a good sign indicating that Riccardi and Co will soon be on their collective ways out.
Who would have been equivalent to Jar Jurjens on the Jays ? The guy only pitched like 30 mlb innings. So Brian Wolfe 45ip ? And then some guy in AA who may or may not work out. Seems like if we traded Marcum or Litch only, and we could have had Renteria and some other piece of the puzzle
Totally with you on this one Dave. I have no idiea why Toronto didn't look into getting him. Now, not only does Toronto not get stronger, but one of the potential playoff teams does. which obviously decreases the chances for Toronto in getting the wild card.
I'm not sure the price for Rentira was all that low. I pulled this off the Tigers AA site.
"With Hernandez, the Braves are getting one of the game's most dynamic young outfielders and with Jurrjens, they are getting a quality right-handed pitcher, whose success earned him the call to the Majors in August.
Hernandez, who just turned 20 in September, is coming off his first full professional season in impressive fashion. After hitting .293 with 54 stolen bases for Class A West Michigan, the speedy outfielder was named the Midwest League's Most Valuable Player (AA)."
Jurrjens, who hails from Curacao, was rated the Eastern League's third-best pitching prospect after going 7-5 with a 3.20 ERA in 19 starts for Double-A Erie this year. In seven starts with Detroit, the 21-year-old right-hander, who is known for his control, went 3-1 with a 4.70 ERA. In three of his seven starts, he allowed one earned run or less and worked at least five innings.
Rentira is 32, makes 10 million per year and in the last year of his contract. The Braves have a younger lower cost alternative in Escobar.
Personally, I'd have liked the Jays to trade for Hernandez-an outfielder with base stealing speed. Now that would have solved our lead-off hitter position. Rentiria is really expensive for his production.
I can't say I agree with some of the above posts that say the price tag for Renteria was "low". The Tigers gave up two top prospects for a guy who's likely in the declining years of his career. Other than Snider, I'm not sure the Jays even have prospects of the same caliber as the two guys Detroit gave up….
Looks like Travis Snider isn't the only Jays prospect doing well in the Arizona fall league.
Sergio Santos has hit 3 Hr's in the last two games-to total 4 in 12 games which ties him for the league lead. He's also got 10 RBI's and is batting .295-not bad for a short stop-although, they're also playing him at 3rd base. Only problem is he's also committed 3 errors.
David Purcey appears to have recovered from his mid season injury, has appeared 3 times, got an era of 3.38 and struck out 13 in 8 innings pitched. Purcey is a 6'5″, 235 pound power lefty. He is a former first rounder, who has had control problems. He appearded to have it straightened out last year at AA before he was injured.
If this guy is right, he is the lefty we need in the rotation. He throws in the mid 90's and has a breaking ball that makes knees buckle-hence the high strike out ratio. All Jays fans should cross their fingers on this guy.
Renteria has two years on his contract. One at 6.5 mil, and the other at 10.
Low cost ? Your prob right, they paid a price, but they are taking a chance. Who knows how much of an impact a couple of AA guys would have made next year. Will Renteria hit over 300 the next 2 years…YEP. Do the Jays look like they will be more able to compete for the wildcard next year ??? NOPE.
I guess its just the frustration of seeing other teams getting creative in order to improve their lineups while the Jays are just planning on staying the course. At least we have Abner here for another year !!! And im sure well lock up Stairs now until he's 50
Call me pessimistic, but Im sure this offseason is going to be pretty intense on the trade market and it wont be something that we can blame the Bluejays for.
This is Reniera's contract:
Edgar Renteria ss
4 years/$40M (2005-08), plus $11M 2009 club option
signed as free agent 12/04
$4M signing bonus (paid 2005-08)
05:$7M, 06:$8M, 07:$9M, 08:$9M, 09:$11M club option ($3M buyout) (partially deferred)
So amortizing the signing bonus, 2008 is 10 mill. 2011 is a club option.
I'm not sure we need an upgrade at ss-I think with all the effort going to Macky's hitting this off season and spring, he'll be fine.
What we need is a left fielder with speed that can steal bases and set the table for the big guys.
Pitching is fine-probably the best in the AL. We need guys to come back healthy and we either need Reed Johnson to pick it up or a replacement for him.
If we're heathly, we will contend.
Of course an upgrade at manager would likely ensure that-but that isn't happening. I heard that Joe Torre is available. lol
Hernandez and Jurrgens will start at AAA this spring. I'd expect-particulary with Hernandez that if he starts well he's called up. That kind of base stealing capability is a serious weapon and I'm sure the Braves want his in his lineup asap.
The problem of course with all trades, is who's to know what happens next year. Reniera could break a leg and be out for the season and Detroit ends up giving away two prized assets for nothing.
I'll tell you what though, I think Atlanta got the best of the deal-by far. 32 year old short stops who are lossing a step don't generally improve.
There appears to be massive upside with Hernandez; and Jurrgens looks competent.


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According to Christopher Lepkowski at the Birmingham Mail, West Bromwich do not plan on selling top striker Peter Odemwingie unless they receive a monster offer. Manager Roy Hodgson said,
"He's a good player and we would like to keep him here … Whether we receive any offers or not, who can say? But I'm not sure there's an awful lot of money around … Certainly we wouldn't be looking to get rid of him so it would have to be the type of offer you can't refuse and we know what top front players cost in the market.
"I'm not suggesting £50 million (paid by Chelsea for Fernando Torres) but they certainly cost top money, so it would be a question of what teams are out there with that sort of money to spend and whether Peter Odemwingie is the type of player they are looking for, so there are a lots of ifs and buts.
"I don't take a lot of notice of the Juventus thing. Any agent in the world can always drum up an Italian club … When I was at Inter there wasn't a day that went by when there weren't 10 players we were supposedly signing … It would have run into thousands over two years.
"When I hear about Juventus I just shrug my shoulders. If you're an English journalists thinking 'who can I link him with?' Inter and Juventus are always good bets … Peter seems perfectly happy here and he's a joy to work and I think he has enjoyed his time here … I don't think he's looking to take the first opportunity to get out of the club."


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After several years of exercise in my gym I consider hiring a fitness coach to improve my training. The main problem is that I am not really sure what I can expect from a fitness coach? What are the services I should request? I am not aiming to become a top athlete, I still see going to the gym as a hobby.
Is paying for a fitness coach a good idea in this situation?


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WEST HOLLYWOOD (KTLA) — Sheriff's detectives are conducting a battery investigation after a reported fight between Chris Brown and fellow singer Frank Ocean.
Deputies responded to a call of six men fighting Sunday night in the 7200 block of Santa Monica Boulevard.
When they arrived, witnesses told authorities that Brown and the other person, whom TMZ identified as Ocean, were involved in an altercation over a parking spot.
Sources tell TMZ that as Brown was at Westlake Studio listening to an artist he represents.
When Brown went to leave, Ocean and his crew apparently blocked him in, and a fight ensued.
The altercation allegedly led to Brown punching the victim, officials said.
Brown and his entourage left the location prior to the deputies' arrival. The investigation was ongoing, police said, and they planned to speak to Brown.
A little later, Ocean tweeted about the incident, saying: "got jumped by chris and a couple guys. lol. i only wish everest was there." (Everest is Ocean's dog.)
He also posted: "cut my finger now I can't play w two hands at the grammys."
Brown is currently on probation for assaulting his girlfriend Rihanna in Los Angeles the night before the Grammys in February 2009.
Last June, he was involved in a violent brawl with rapper Drake's entourage at a New York nightclub.


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We are pleased to be your hosts at this historic country B&B – a respite from everyday life in the heart of the New Hampshire Lakes Region.
Located just 5 minutes away from downtown Meredith and beautiful Lake Winnipesaukee, the Nutmeg Inn's provenance dates back to 1763 as the Eliphalet Rawlings Homestead. On our quiet, seven acre property, you will be transported back to a simpler time while surrounded by all the comforts of modern life. Enjoy a roaring fire in our Great Room, old movies from our extensive collection in our West Parlor, and a game of billiards on our antique pool table in our Billiard Room. From May through September, enjoy a swim in our heated, in-ground salt water swimming pool.
With the resort town of Meredith and many lake and mountain attractions nearby, the Nutmeg Inn is the perfect home base for your New Hampshire vacation year round. You will love the inn's eighteenth century charm and antiques and all of our twenty-first century comforts. We pride ourselves on our hearty country breakfasts and warm hospitality. The enjoyment and comfort of our guests is our first priority.
Lynne & Mark


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I have officially deemed Chris as my funniest customer thus far! OMG she is a riot! I enjoyed every email correspondence as it always made me laugh. I even read her responses to my husband and he laughed! Wish we lived closer…I have a feeling it would be fun to get to know her 🙂
Chris emailed me last week inquiring about alphabet letters. She signed up to bring cookies to her daughter's school and self diagnosed herself as being in over her head. I commend her for recognizing this early on…I would have been elbow deep in flour the day before cookies were due, crying to my husband that "I Can't Do This!!" 😉 So pat on the back Chris!! Here's how our cookie relationship started:
The tutorials I have just watched on youtube have immediately filled me with dread and made me confront my limitations. So, I am appealing to you. However, before I even begin to search for letter stencils, make dough, xacto cut out the letters, make a usable batch of royal icing for the very first time in my life, pipe out the outlines, fill them in, shake cookies, and poke out bubbles for 26 letters (!!!!) I thought I would solicit an estimate from you if you are interested and available to do this.
How can I say no to someone that funny! It also reminded me when I started getting into cookies and watched hundreds of YouTube videos. I was terrified as well! And those damn bubbles STILL give me nightmares! Grrr…
Had so much fun decorating these cookies…and fun spelling out mine and my daughter's names. I would have spelled out my husband's, but he has repeat letters so he had to sit this one out 😉
The inspiration for the uber cool color scheme was taken directly from the book her daughter's class was reading 🙂


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The College Board says New Jersey students who graduated high school this year did markedly better than their predecessors on a key college-entrance exam, according to an Associated Press report.
Data released Thursday show the average SAT score for the Class of 2013 was 499 in critical reading, 522 in math and 500 in writing.
Each test has a top score of 800 and the scores went up for recent grads on all three, even as scores nationally were stagnant.
More than 83,000 students who graduated this year took the exam, down from 1,400 the year before.
New Jersey's scores were above the national average in all three parts of the test.


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A major in agronomy focuses on the study of plants and soils and their interaction with the environment. Students can focus on business and industry, consulting and production, plant science and biotechnology, soil and environmental science or range management. Graduates find opportunities in many fields, including environmental consulting, crop consulting, soil and range conservation, plant breeding, crop biotechnology, seed sales representative, research science, financial institution loan officer, production agronomy, farm service agent, crop insurance adjuster, and range manager.
Related career titles
Agriculture education teacher
Agriculture professor
Agriculture finance representative
Crop consultant
Educational supervisor
Extension agent
Farm/ranch manager
Human resource specialist
International agriculture
Production agriculture manager
Program coordinator
Sales/service representative
Resources available at the Career Center*
Careers in Focus: Agriculture
Careers for Nature Lovers and Other Outdoors Types
Careers in the Environment
Careers for Environmental Types
Careers for Nature Lovers and Other Green Thumb Types
Career Opportunites in Conservation and the Environment
Career Opportunities in the Environment
*Books are available for checkout.
Related agronomy links
K-State Department of Agronomy
American Society of Agronomy
Kansas Center for Ag Resources and the Environment
Crop Science Society of America
Natural Resources Conservation Service


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Let's go on an ABC excursion with Dora and Boots! Travel to the ABC Tree, over Alphabet River, and through Letter Cave to help find all the missing letters in their book.
READ with us
Read with us skills focus on early literacy and include: listening, comprehension, speech, reading, writing, vocabulary, letters and their sounds, and spelling.


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If you could attend any game in baseball history, which game would you choose?I could rattle off two dozen games (easily) that would be a serious contender for the top spot. I think any serious fan could. But what is #1? And do you conduct a rigorous process of elimination or go with the first game you thought of? When I commented at BRef, I went with my first thought:
Saturday, May 1, 1920
Brooklyn Robins at Boston Braves
Brooklyn - 000 010 000 000 000 000 000 000 00 - 1 9 2 Boston - 000 000 100 000 000 000 000 000 00 - 1 15 2Leon Cadore (26-15-1-5-6) and Joe Oeschger (26-9-1-4-7) each pitched a complete game.
BRef did not lay out any "rules", so I'm wondering: Would you know the outcome of the game when you went back? I think that would detract quite a bit from the excitement. Therefore, I stipulate that while you are still the 2011 you, you are attending the game as a current event along with everyone else in the stands (though you do have the luxury of sitting in what you consider the best seat in the park!). And maybe you have a slight understanding that 1920 baseball (or 1885 or 1918 or 1964 baseball) is different than what you watch back home.
WABAC Machine to ...


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Thank you to all our customers who have shown such care for our community and team as we have rolled out new measures to comply with physical distancing guidelines. We are doing everything we can to protect the safety of our customers and our team.
Protector Aluminium decorative panels are super stylish screens designed for indoor or outdoor use. They feature an aluminium composite panel designed to never rot, rust or need painting, and can be installed in minutes using easy screen fixing brackets.They are available in a wide variety of designs and colours. Custom sizes are also available from 600mm x 900mm to 1200mm x 2400mm. Call or visit the Special Orders Desk at your local store for more details. Prices will vary according to profile, size and colour chosen.Colours displayed are indicative only. Black and Surfmist Panels are coloured on both sides. All other colours are coloured on one side with the opposite side Gloss White.
12 month warranty
We will gladly assist with returns and exchanges of this product in accordance with our returns and exchanges policy
Shop wherever you are, whenever you want.
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Where you find a competitor's lower price on the same stocked item, we'll beat it by10%
Excludes trade quotes, stock liquidations, commercial quantities and MarketLink products. Same in-stock item available for same-day delivery or collection, including GST and delivery charges.


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It looks like Garth Brooks can be thankful for another unanswered prayer - his retirement.
The 47-year-old country star announced Thursday he is going back to work, The Associated Press reported.
"We're going to take the retirement roof off over our head, and I already feel taller," Brooks said Thursday.
Brooks, who has been living in Oklahoma with his wife, fellow country star Trisha Yearwood, said he has no immediate plans and will see how things go in the coming years. He retired in 2000 to spend more time with his three children, and has mostly stayed out of the limelight. His last album, Scarecrow, was released in 2001.
The Recording Industry Association of America honored Brooks in 2007 with a career award after he passed Elvis Presley to become the top-selling solo artist in U.S. history. At the time, he had sold more than 123 million albums.


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The beautiful thing about Thanksgiving is that no two plates are ever the same; no two stuffings or pies or turkey legs are the same. It's a melting pot! Like America! So what does your meal look like today? Are you feasting on a deep fried turducken? Or is this year's fare a slab of tofurkey with a side of locally-sourced vegan dressing?
The only thing better than slipping into a food coma after your meal is looking at other people's Thanksgiving #foodporn. Plus, everyone has a favorite part of the Thanksgiving meal: what's yours? Debate below.
[Image via Shutterstock]


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I also love the sculpt, the remind me a lot of the vintage figures, no action poses, no wierd stnces that result in nothing but figures constantly falling over!!
I think the line had a lot of duds, and too many versions of the main characters. It was a pretty decent line though because it started out with Obi Wan and Qui Gon with, for the time, was a good amount of articulation, the figures able to hold the lightsabers with 2 hands. We got a few too many versions of Obi Wan, Qui Gon, Maul, and little Anakin for my liking.
Page created in 0.032 seconds with 18 queries.


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Things seem to amp up a bit this time of year with fall festivals planned and fundraisers of one kind or another and Halloween parties and activities and lots of fall birthday parties and holy cow, is that Thanksgiving on next month's calendar page?
The attempt to keep things slow and steady rather than reactive and riotous is definitely the goal. And as the kids get a bit older, I must admit, this slow and steady is a bit less in my control and pushed against a little more by certain members in my house.
Just this weekend my child-who-shall-remain-unnamed said to me, "You want to have time at home but I just want to hang out with my friends." So we made a deal – one that I think will work for all of us. 2-3 days each month we will have FAMILY MEMBERS ONLY marked on the calendar. Planned ahead of time so as to give everyone fair warning and not necessarily for an entire day though I reserve the right to claim it as such if I want to but I might be willing to concede to a late afternoon hang out at the house with friends. Ideally I'd choose 4 days each month – one day each weekend- but I'm willing to meet them halfway on this. And on the weekends that we don't have family-only time, I will have one day reserved as car-free for me – meaning that I will not drive anyone, anywhere. So if they want to make plans with friends, the friends can either come over or they will figure out their own transportation.
While building family connection is part of the goal, encouraging everyone to find some sort of comfort level in just hanging out at home is definitely part of it too. I want my kids to feel that sometimes just sinking into the scene at home is not only okay but actually desirable. And yet I am fully aware of the fact that repression breeds obsession, meaning if I force them to stay home all the time, they will resent it. Oh, this give and take is such a fine line to walk and this idea of finding some sort of slow is a balancing act that requires constant calibrating. But putting it on the calendar surely helps.
Like spinning plates. And again I say a three-day weekend sure would be helpful.
How do you make it work in your house? Do you have any tools to help you make sure that you and your family keep it all in balance?


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expresscopy.com > Business Marketing Solutions > Real Estate Postcards
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Bolsover Lettings is designed to give you better access to your housing options. Details will be published on this web page highlighting the properties currently available, you can then decide which properties you wish to be considered for and contact us on 01246 242424.
If you are currently on the housing register you can bid for properties on www.bolsoverlettings.org.uk or call us on 01246 242424 for guidance.
Bolsover Careline is an emergency community alarm service that allows people to live independently whilst having access to help in the event of an emergency. The service offers peace of mind that you will always be in touch - just at the press of a button, 24 hours a day every day.
The units are available on lease only. Careline is provided by us for our tenants and residents.
The careline alarm system is an alarm unit you plug into your exisiting telephone socket, it comes with a pendant which is worn around your neck, or can be clipped to a belt.
In the event of an emergency you can easily activiate the alarm which will put a call thorugh to our control centre. The call will be answered by one of our trained staff who will assess your situation and then offer advice and take the necessary action to help you.
There are two kinds of alarm service:
Gold - this service offers a weekly or monthly visit (depending on medical need) by one of our Mobile Wardens. If the alarm is activated and we cannot make contact with you a mobile warden will visit your home and take the necessary action. The cost for this service is £4.90 per week + £1.95 lease of the unit.
Bronze - this is a monitor only service where you will have to provide as many contact details as possible of people you would like us to contact in the event of you activating the alarm. We can also call the emergency services for you if needed. The cost for this service is £2.50 per week + £1.95 lease of the unit.
Installing an alarm
All alarms are usually fitted within 24 hours of receiving your application. All you need is a modern push telephone socket and a 3-pin power socket nearby. The system is always demonstrated and tested before we leave your home. If you need further assiastance please contact us and we will arrange for one of our Mobile Wardens to visit you and your family at your home.
We provide a comprehensive aids and adaptations service which is invaluable in enabling us to help our elderly and disabled tenants to continue living independently in their own home. All initial applications for adaptations should be directed through Call Derbyshire, who will ensure your enquiry is directed to the Disability Team for assessment.
Aids and adaptations we commonly fit in the homes of elderly and disabled tenants include:
Grab rails
Half steps
Outdoor handrails
Stair lifts
Over bath showers
Stair rails
Wet rooms
Wheel chair ramps
Lever handled taps
Solid fuel heating to gas
There is a high demand for adaptations to Council property and once your referral is received you will go on a waiting list for the works, we will contact you once the adaptations have been ordered.
No one likes to feel vulnerable in their own home, but for those who are older, infirm or disabled and becoming progressively less stable, it is a daily reality. Telecare is a practical way to keep help close at hand and knowing that help is available brings reassurance and peace of mind.
For some people it means they are able to stay in their homes for as long as they want to or take part in activities they might not have felt able to before.
Telecare can benefit older people and other adults with long-term conditions, those at risk from harm, especially those who:
have dementia, or memory loss which means they wander or are unable to deal with risk in their homes such as fire, flood and gas
are becoming increasingly frail and are at risk of falling
are struggling to cope at home and may be regularly admitted to hospital.
Telecare can help if you are worried about:
your safety at home
the consequences of falling
becoming forgetful
Telecare can be of great peace of mind and family members especially if they do not live with you. Telecare means that instead of frequent and regular visits or calls to make sure all is well, you can rest assured that they will be notified if there is a problem.
Right to Buy allows most council tenants to buy their council home at a discount.
You can get a discount on the market value of your home when you buy it if you qualify for Right to Buy. The maximum discount is £80,900 across England, except in London boroughs where it's £108,000. It will increase each year in April in line with the consumer price index (CPI).
The discount is based on:
- how long you've been a tenant with a public sector landlord
- the type of property you're buying - a flat or house
- the value of your home
If you're buying with someone else, you count the years of whoever's been a public sector tenant the longest. You will usually have to repay some or all your discount if you sell your home within 5 years. You might get a smaller discount if you've used Right to Buy in the past. Find our more from the Gov.uk website.
Landlord Accreditation Scheme
We have signed up to become partners to the East Midlands Landlord Accreditation Scheme (EMLAS). The scheme is the first regional accreditation scheme, outside of London, to recognise the abilities of the landlord and not just the property standards.
Houses in Multiple Occupation (HMOs)
The definition of House in Multiple Occupation has changed under the Housing Act 2004. The definition is quite complex, but in essence includes buildings that are occupied by persons who do not form a single household, where there is a degree of sharing of facilities.
HMO Licensing
Following the Housing Act 2004, landlords of HMO's which are three storeys or more and are occupied by five people or more will need to apply to the Council for a licence. It is now an offence to operate a licensable HMO without a licence for which there are heavy penalties or conviction.
Energy Efficiency in Rented Properties
Landlords need to obtain an Energy Performance Certificate (EPC) prior to the start of any new tenancy. A copy of this certificate needs to be supplied to any new tenant free of charge. This does not apply to existing tenants.
The EPC must be produced by an accredited assessor & should show the estimated running costs and the estimated carbon emissions from the property. The rating on the certificate is on a scale of A - G similar to those used for electrical appliances. The rating should also be accompanied by a recommendation report detailing how to improve the property's energy efficiency. Each EPC for the domestic rental sector should last for roughly 10 years, although landlordsare encouraged to update them more often if they have refuebished a a proprty & upgraded it's thermal efficiency.
It is believed higher ratings could give landlords a marketing advantage as prospective tenants will be able to compare properties againsteach other and choose one where they will benefit from lower fuel bills. The Enforcement of EPC's will be carried out by Derbyshire County Council Trading Standards, the Environmental Health section will promote the legislation amongst both landlords and tenants.
Housing Associations
We have a number of Housing Associations who have properties for rent in the District. These include:
|Acis Group
|Derwent Living
|East Midlands Housing Association
|Housing 21
|Guiness Partnership
|Trident Housing
|Derbyshire County Council Supporting People
|Action Housing
|Easy Room Mate
Before you are able to be offered a Council property you need to be on our Housing Register. The booklet Housing Application Guide (659kb) gives information on completing the application form (465kb). Please note that any applicant who completes the housing application form and is living in rented accommodation (excluding Bolsover District Council tenants) you will have to have the private and confidential checklist (165kb) completed by your current landlord otherwise your application will not be processed.
If you need further assistance in completing the form, or answering any of the questions, this is available at any of our Contact Centres.
Once your application has been received, points will be awarded, determined by housing need, but priority will be given to persons occupying unsatisfactory or temporary housing, or are vulnerable for other social, economic or medical reasons.
For further details please see our Choice Based Lettings booklet (608kb) leaflet or the full Housing Allocation Policy (608kb).
Bolsover Lettings
Bolsover Lettings is our Choice Based Lettings System. This system allows anyone with an active application on the housing waiting list, to search, select and apply for a new home of their choice across Bolsover District and its Sub Regional partners (within the usual eligibility criteria).
Bolsover Lettings gives you more choice about where you want to live. It also gives you a better idea of what properties are available in your area. Every week we will advertise most of the available Council and in time Housing Association properties. You can look at the adverts and decide whether you want to be considered for any of the properties advertised.
Properties will be advertised on the website and will be displayed at our Contact Centres.
To bid for a property you can:
- On the internet
- Through Contact Centre employees.
Mutual Exchanges
Please note that the swap and move service was discontinued on 18th May 2018.
Bolsover Lettings has now subscribed to Homeswapper's online mutual exchange service. Homeswapper is the UK's largest community of social housing tenants looking for a home swap. It is a quick and easy way of finding both local and national moves with over 500,000 tenants currently registered. Registering with HomeSwapper is a quicker option than waiting for a move on our Transfer List.
HomeSwapper matches you with other tenants who you may wish to swap homes with. Swaps are available both locally and nationally. As a tenant of Bolsover District Council you can use HomeSwapper free of charge.
How to use HomeSwapper
* Visit HomeSwapper on www.homeswapper.co.uk to register or download the FREE app, available on the App store and on Google Play
* Enter details of your current home and home you want
* See any possible swaps
After you have registered your application the Housing Department will originally need to approve your application and after that you will be able to use the website to contact anyone you are interested in swapping with. When you register you can sign up to receive a regular email telling you when there are any new swap properties that meet your requirements.Further details are available on the Bolsover District Council website or by contacting the Housing Department on 01246 242424.


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That's what Crabkid did to me as an April Fool's joke. And while Dad was in the shower, we put toothpaste in the bottom of his sock! She was hysterical with joy as he described the feeling of minty squishiness between his toes. She loved that he had to go and wash his foot again! Dad really got into the spirit of the day and offered me a sherry last night that was in fact apple cider vinegar. As Crabkid would say, de-scrumptious.
And you all? Any tricks to report?
For those new readers who have come here from Cookie, welcome! No, that wasn't an April Fool's joke: I have really been laid off. And yes, it's okay. They were very good to me and I had lots of fun with that blog and made money out of it and ticked quite a few people all off. All good. But on the positive side of being laid off, I can't make fun of Mormons as freely over there as I can here. And when I said whackjob Octomom's kids should be taken away from her, they did ask me to "soften the message." Thankfully here I can be completely unfiltered...and I plan to get back to that so stay tuned, non-vaccinators, religious people, and people who have too many children: Crabmommy is coming for you!
Thursday, April 2, 2009
Soy Sauce in My Coffee
That's what Crabkid did to me as an April Fool's joke. And while Dad was in the shower, we put toothpaste in the bottom of his sock! She was hysterical with joy as he described the feeling of minty squishiness between his toes. She loved that he had to go and wash his foot again! Dad really got into the spirit of the day and offered me a sherry last night that was in fact apple cider vinegar. As Crabkid would say, de-scrumptious.
Posted by Crabmommy at 10:06 AM
13 comments:
- elc said...
I'm so glad to have stumbled upon your blog. It made me laugh out loud! Motherhood has made me crazy- and not always in a good way! My oldest daughter duct taped my husband's dinner plate to the table for April Fool's... I was spared because I knew where the duct tape was. Bookmarking your blog NOW :)
- April 2, 2009 at 11:09 AM
- DGB said...
Thankfully yesterday my coffee tasted like coffee and my socks were clean. I only have two children, though, so I feel safe from scorn. Kinda.
- April 2, 2009 at 4:34 PM
- Genevieve said...
I've never been into April Fools jokes before, but I may need to start planning for next year..Soften the message? Doesn't everyone think her kids should be taken away?
- April 2, 2009 at 7:44 PM
- crabmommy said...
yeah, seriously, Straz, everyone thinks that. I think i said it quite a bit before her complete wjhackjobness had become plain for all to see--so it wasn't yet PC.
- April 2, 2009 at 8:27 PM
- dorothy said...
just read your piece on the guppies on cookie - that was just about the funniest thing i have read all week! tx
- April 3, 2009 at 2:55 AM
- exhaustomom said...
I am so happy to have stumbled upon your blog. It's hilarious. Perfect for moms who function in reality. Thanks for the honesty!
- April 3, 2009 at 7:28 AM
- tonypark said...
Back in the saddle again.
(I note that we were both runners-up in the SA Blog Awards againg this year. We both know it means nothing...)
- April 3, 2009 at 5:27 PM
- Lesterose said...
My three year old son and I rolled my husband's jeep in bright orange (non-adhesive) construction tape at his job. I got the boy to catch the roll under one side as I ran around to throw it over and do it all over again, wrapped the steering wheel up with it, it was great, his employees got a kick out of it and it only took him about ten minutes to undo the whole thing. The best thing about my favorite calendar day is he never gets me :D but I always get him, he had even commented to one of his managers that he was curious what his wife had in store for him on this first day of April, fun fun
- April 3, 2009 at 6:07 PM
- crabmommy said...
Tony,Yeah, I know. whatevs, man.
Lesterose: that's elaborate. Nice!
Newcomers: welcome!
- April 3, 2009 at 7:48 PM
- Alexis said...
No jokes, practical or otherwise, but sorry to hear you lost the cookie gig. This blog is waaaay more fun, though! You can still shill for etsy here, right?
- April 4, 2009 at 8:46 PM
Cookie´s complete and total loss...here is hoping the followers you had there will find their crabbyfix here with you. Promise you will never-ever go PC on us! We so need more of your plain talk on this planet. Write on Crabmommy!
OXOX Mama de HJH
- April 5, 2009 at 6:48 PM
- cathy said...
I hate to hear that the bloglet is no more! Ah well, you can be a bit more crabby here anyway, though without the paycheck.
- April 7, 2009 at 12:33 PM
- nina's baby clothes said...
That Crabkid sounds just like you. Love your blog!
- March 10, 2010 at 2:16 AM


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Life Cycle Status: Maintenance | Last Orderable Date: 6/29/17
VGA, Included Lighting Controller, 600 MHz Processor, Monochrome Smart Camera—The ISC‑1752 is a low-cost real-time target for machine vision and is powered by a 600 MHz PowerPC processor. The combination of the onboard processor with a CCD image sensor provides an easily distributed, all-in-one vision system. Camera I/O includes two optoisolated digital inputs, two optoisolated digital outputs, one RS232 serial port, and two Gigabit Ethernet ports. The ISC‑1752 also features quadrature encoder support and a direct drive lighting controller. You can configure NI Smart Cameras with the included Vision Builder for Automated Inspection (AI) software or program the camera with the LabVIEW Real-Time Module and the Vision Development Module.
Find complete product documentation to learn how to get started and use the product.
Explore a wide range of support content, including examples and troubleshooting information.


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Some of the programs were definitely in the development stage. Others had well-developed, working applications that looked to have the ability to survive. Most were evidently based in part on the perceived need for more personal control over photos, documents and files than offered by the universal family tree approach of FamilySearch.org. One of my concerns is the same with all start-ups; whether or not they will survive. Some, such as Treelines.com, from RootsTech 2013, have survived and thrived. Others seem to disappear as the realities of financing and programming overcome a very good idea.
I spent some time at #RootsTech 2014 both during the conference and after, talking to Wesley Eames, the developer of Ancestor Cloud. Here is a description of the program provided by Wesley:
I spent some time at #RootsTech 2014 both during the conference and after, talking to Wesley Eames, the developer of Ancestor Cloud. Here is a description of the program provided by Wesley:
The two biggest headaches genealogists have (well, after the obvious one of not being able to find that elusive ancestor) are how to safely store all those photos and documents, and then how to effectively and simply share them. You try to find ways to showcase to family and friends the research that you are finding and connect with other genealogists. And sharing your information gets downright expensive and time-consuming when you're handing out dozens of burned CDs and thumb drives, and reams of copied genealogies.
Ancestor Cloud answers those problems, plus much more. Ancestor Cloud lets you store your documents and photos offsite, in the cloud. Its crowning feature is that it lets you share your files with a simple emailed invitation to family and friends. They access only the sections of your files you invite them to, and you never burn another CD again.
Ancestor Cloud is designed with networking in mind. You choose whether to post your information for the whole community or just your family. Gain the interest of family and friends by showcasing your research in a simple, easy-to-access way. Discuss photos and documents you post with others. Connect with other genealogists, and learn how they organize and store their research. Browse public records on the site by type, category, user, or chronology. Expand your own cloud of files from others. Keep in the research loop with the friends you're following and see what they're uploading.
Check out the prototype at ancestorcloud.com today. Leave your email address and you'll soon receive an invitation to join. Meanwhile, get your records ready because they'll soon be heading safely to the cloud, and you'll be building a network that can take your research to a new level.Most of these programs seem to begin with a free edition and then add extra features for a "premium edition" later on. Hoping, of course, to keep paying users with the new features. This is one of the more interesting of the programs I investigated. See what you think.


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(CNN) - Defense Secretary Leon Panetta isn't known for his stand up comedy.
But he clearly loves his dog.
Follow @politicalticker
The outgoing Cabinet secretary left his family at home in California but brought his golden retriever with him when he moved to Washington. As Panetta prepares to leave his post and return home, he offered some kind words for his dog, Bravo.
"Bravo was in all of the meetings when we planned the (Osama) bin Laden operation and he also sat in on many of the sensitive meetings and discussions that I had at the Pentagon," Panetta said at a farewell ceremony on Friday.
"I want you to know that he has never told a soul what he heard," Panetta deadpanned. "He is definitely not a leaker – at least according to that definition of the word."
Bravo has indeed been known to sit in on important meetings with top military leaders, and has led to jokes that he is the Pentagon's "Top Dog" and holds the highest security clearance.
But does Bravo aspire to the silver screen?
"You've heard of the movie 'Zero Dark Thirty,' Panetta said. "The producer is seriously considering a new movie about Bravo entitled 'Zero Bark Thirty.'"
If Bravo does aspire to a starring role, Panetta may have a hard time, well, muzzling him.
Goldens are some of the best dogs and that face!!! 🙂
When is Bravo's book coming out? It will be the most truthful story in Washington, and an amazing tail... er, tale.
UH-OH!!! I think Bravo might really be Duke, the talking dog from the Bushes Baked Beans commercials!!!
I smell a scandal brewing...
Honest, loyal, trustworthy.....humans (especially politicians) can never aspire to the dignity of mans best friend! BRAVO, Bravo!!
@Roscoe Chait: Cute post! And good idea: the proceeds from the book could go to the Canine Companions for Independence organization, which provides service dogs for free to the disabled, including wounded veterans.
Other good organizations include the Wounded Warrior Project, which helps disabled vets, or the Yellow Ribbon Fund, which serves the injured coming back from the wars in Iraq and Afghanistan.
All we need is a good animal psychic and our state secrets will be known to all!
Rhu-Rho, Middle O' the Road, a partisan rumor has it that he may have been sighted coming out of that under-cover "hippie van"!!
I like Panetta - and if you'e a man that likes your dog much - you're a good man. I'm sad that Panetta is leaving...
While this nation is reeling hyper unemployment–this nasty jokes. Fix unemployment and tighten immigration into this nation. No fooling.
Gurgyl, just how does the Secretary of Defense "fix" unemployment? Lobby for another war? Perhaps you need to understand what Cabinet positions are, and what the job of Secretary is.
GET THAT DOG! Make him talk, err, or bark. Maybe need some code breakers. Good deal though, I love animals.


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Michelle Appelbaum started out in English literature — and went on to become an advocate for underserved patients, working as a nurse practitioner with children who have developmental disabilities.
Michelle Appelbaum started out in English literature — and went on to become an advocate for underserved patients, working as a nurse practitioner with children who have developmental disabilities.
After nearly 25 years in the profession, the Bullville resident has been named Nurse Practitioner of the Year for 2013 by the New York State Nurse Practitioner Association.
It's an honor that she doesn't take lightly. Appelbaum says she was "surprised and very flattered" when she got the news by email: "It just felt wonderful." She received her award Oct. 23, at the organization's annual conference in Saratoga Springs.
But, along with the title comes the opportunity to promote her profession, says Appelbaum. Not only is the work she and her colleagues do in great demand, but also recognition of their expertise is rather timely.
"With the Affordable Care Act, nurse practitioners are poised in a perfect position to help people," Appelbaum says. "There's a shortage of primary care physicians, but nurse practitioners are out there and they would be able to fill the gap."
These medical specialists are registered nurses "with more training — either at a master's or doctoral level," Appelbaum explains. NP's "are able to diagnose, treat, prescribe, order X-rays, order tests, and also follow up on patients."
While they sound a lot like doctors, they have a different perspective than a typical physician, she says. "Nurses learn to take into account the whole person." When working with a patient, "nurse practitioners think about everything about the whole person: their environment, their family, their job." Their approach, she says, "is holistic."
Today, nurse practitioners "can be found in almost every specialty, (as well as primary care) and almost every venue that delivers health care, like hospitals and nursing homes." People can choose to have a nurse practitioner as their primary care provider; they can select a medical practice that includes nurse practitioners among its staff.
What attracted Appelbaum to the field is the complex combination of skills she can bring to bear when helping people. "It's a privilege to be able to take care of people," she says. While she has a Ph.D., from Columbia in nursing science and has published in a professional journal, she didn't come to the profession in a typical manner.
Michelle Gellman Appelbaum grew up in Monticello. She went off to college and got a degree in English literature. But she wasn't satisfied. "I just wanted to do more than that," she says. That's when she had her aha moment.
"I volunteered in an intensive care nursery, and I just loved it. I loved everything about it. I loved the babies. I loved talking to the parents. I was so impressed with the way the nurses were.
"And then I went to a program at Pace University for people who had a bachelor's degree in a non-nursing field. Then I found out that with a lot of extra training, I could be a nurse practitioner, and then I could meet all of the (patient's) needs at that moment. I could treat someone and use all of my nursing knowledge as well as knowledge of physical examination and diagnosis."
She received a master's degree in nursing from New York Medical College.
Appelbaum's specialty is working with children who have developmental disabilities, including autism and ADHD. She is currently affiliated with New Windsor Pediatrics. Before that, she worked at St. Francis Hospital in Poughkeepsie.
"The bulk of my experience, though, was at the Center for Discovery in Sullivan County, where I worked with children with developmental disabilities," she says.
Appelbaum was nominated for the award by Dr. Alisha Fuller, who is Region 5 Director of the Nurse Practitioner Association. "Michelle is very deserving of the nomination," Fuller wrote. "She promotes health services in underserved areas, is actively involved at the local level and promotes the profession through outstanding leadership."
Appelbaum says she hopes that the publicity that comes her way because of this award will help bring the profession into the public eye and entice others in the field to join the organization, which provides education, legislative support and camaraderie.


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Lt. Gen. Berry, West Point chief in '70s, dies
Sidney Berry led men into combat in two wars and was wounded in both conflicts, yet the most trying period the highly decorated officer faced in a distinguished Army career occurred during his stint as head of the U.S. Military Academy, when a cheating scandal roiled West Point just before the first female cadets arrived on campus.
"That was the most difficult assignment he ever had in his life because it was such a difficult time," his daughter, Nan Berry Davenport, told The Associated Press Thursday.
She said her father, a retired lieutenant general, died of complications from Parkinson's disease on July 1 at a retirement home in Pennsylvania. He was 87.
Berry was superintendent of the academy in 1976 when a major cheating scandal engulfed West Point, with 152 cadets eventually expelled for violating the academy's code of honor. The scandal particularly pained Berry, a member of West Point's Class of 1948 and a former history instructor at the academy.
"I've never been in more of a combat situation than I am now," Berry told Time magazine in 1976. "There are things that make me heartsick in the whole situation — so many young men may have violated the honor code. But, by God, I've been heartsick in battle and done what I have to do."
A few months after the scandal broke, the first female cadets arrived on the sprawling campus on the Hudson River's west bank, 50 miles (80 kilometers) north of New York City.
Berry initially opposed the appointment of women to the academy. He reasoned that West Point was where the Army trained its officers to lead combat troops and at that time women weren't allowed to serve with combat units.
Davenport said her father, ever the professional soldier, eventually got with the program, then worked to make develop certain accommodations for the women, including overseeing the designing of new uniforms for the female plebes, West Point's term for freshmen.
Berry was born on Feb. 10, 1926, in Hattiesburg, Mississippi. He accepted an appointment to West Point rather than enlist during World War II. A year after graduating from the academy, he married Anne Florine Hayes, a member of a Quaker family whose ancestors settled in Chester County, Pennsylvania, in the early 1700s. Assigned to the 35th Infantry Regiment of the 25th Infantry Division, his unit was headed to Japan for training when the Korean War broke out in June 1950.
Sent to South Korea instead, the young second lieutenant's company was in the thick of the fighting for weeks. By the time his wife and the wives of some of the other officers arrived in Japan after a three-week ship voyage, many of Berry's comrades were dead, his daughter said.
Berry was awarded two Silver Stars in Korea, where he received battlefield promotions to captain and then major. He earned two more in Vietnam, where he commanded combat units in the 1st Infantry Division and 101st Airborne Division.
In addition to his wife and Davenport, Berry is survived by another daughter and a son.


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Hearing that Keds is launching a new collaborative collection is so exciting, it's almost like hearing that Tinseltown is a real-life shop in NYC! With previous experience working with Happy Socks, Taylor Swift, Madewell, and many more (including us!), Keds has been killin' it with every single one of its group projects.
Suffice it to say, we turned pink with happiness when we heard about the upcoming Keds for Kate Spade New York collection. We've had polka dots and bold stripes in our eyes since the release of the initial partnership and can't wait for the launch of the new collection in February '13. Colorful, feminine, and fun, the sneakers will arrive just in time to celebrate Kate Spade's 20th anniversary.
For those of you as in love with the collab collection as we are, note that it'll be available in Kate Spade New York stores, Nordstrom, and Nordstrom.com. With prices ranging from $75 to $85, we're thinking we may snag multiple pairs for ourselves and
ourselves all our besties.
Photo: Courtesy of Keds


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June 7, 2014 - 9:30 am - 10:30 am
B'nai Israel
270 Park Avenue
Bridgeport, CT 06604
Every Saturday morning we learn Torah together – some attend 8:00 a.m. services others arrive in time for the study group. Some participate every week and others drop in when they can. Some have solid biblical backgrounds and others are novices to the study. Some know Hebrew and most do not. Bottom Line: Everyone is welcome! Join us for an enriching, enjoyable and engaging hour of weekly learning of our most sacred text.
2710 Park Avenue, Bridgeport, CT 06604 | (203) 336-1858 | firstname.lastname@example.com | Facebook
Copyright © 2020. All rights reserved. Website designed by Addicott Web.


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A 7-year-old boy from the Bay Area was flown to the hospital after he was injured while target practicing with a .22-caliber rifle as his father stood nearby.
But the San Mateo County boy was released from UC Davis on Sunday - the day after the injury - according to El Dorado County Sheriff's Sgt. Chris Felton, who spoke to NBC Bay Area by phone on Tuesday.
Felton declined to say what city the boy lived in, or release many other details, including exactly how the boy received his chest injury. "The detectives just got the case,'' he said. "We don't know if it was a bullet fragment, or a piece of the target, or anything else."
U.S. & World
The day's top national and international news.
The boy was wounded Saturday while out shooting with his dad at the wooded family property on Bottle Hill Road in Georgetown, near Auburn. At some point, the sheriff's department said the boy began to complain of chest pain. When his dad went to check, he saw his son had a hole in his T-shirt, the sheriff's department said, and he was bleeding.
"The parents were watching," Lt. Tim Becker told NBC affiliate KCRA in Sacramento. "His dad was right there."
Becker did not state who fired the bullet that struck the boy. Sources told KCRA it seemed like pieces of a bullet apparently ricocheted into his chest, but Felton did not confirm that. He added it was possible the sharp object that pierced the boy's chest was something altogether.
The boy's injury comes a week after another high-profile shooting involving a young child. On Aug. 25, a 9-year-old girl at a shooting range outside Las Vegas accidentally killed her instructor when she lost control of the Uzi he was showing her how to use. The sheriff in that case said no citations would be issued and no charges would be filed because the shooting range is a licensed, legal operation.
The girl's accidental shooting reignited a debate for some about how old people should be when they pick up a firearm.
There are laws on the books that already dictate that.
In California, minors are allowed to use handguns or live ammunition, as long as they are accompanied by a parent or guardian and the child is "actively engaged in a lawful recreational sporting, ranching or hunting activity." The Attorney General's Office states it's even OK if the minor has written consent from an adult. Federal law states people can possess a handgun if they are younger than 18, as long as they are using the weapon for recreational shooting or target practice.
California, however, is one of 29 states that also has "child access prevention laws," where laws impose possible criminal liability on adults who give children unsupervised access to firearms, according to the Law Center to Prevent Gun Violence.
There are 21 states, including Arizona, that have no laws restricting the access of guns to minors under 18, as long as there is adult supervision. And 14 states prohibit someone from "intentionally, knowingly, and/or recklessly providing some or all firearms to children," the center reports.
In both the Arizona and California, the children were supervised by either a guardian or a parent.
In El Dorado County, sheriff's deputies received a call from Cal-Fire that the boy had been injured while shooting targets at a range the family had constructed on their wooded property.
He and his dad were shooting targets positioned about 40 yards away, the sheriff's department said in a statement. Many relatives were watching father and son. The boy had a single shot .22 caliber bolt action youth rifle, and his father was shooting a "larger caliber rifle," the sheriff's statement said. There is no law that prohibits children from target practice, Felton said.
When the father saw his son bleeding from the chest, he immediately took his son to the Georgetown fire station, were he was picked up by a helicopter and transported to UC Davis Medical Center near Sacramento, the sheriff said.
Becker said that "preliminarily the deputies that went out there said that the guns weren't being pointed at anybody. There was plenty of supervision there. They had a pretty good range set up."
Still, Becker said that while it all looked "relatively safe, firearms are tools, just like any tools. People get hurt by tools and accidents happen."
NBC Bay Area's Shelby Hansen and Kinsey Kirakos contributed to this report.


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Veterans honored with 'Quilts of Valor'
A Nebraska sporting goods store held a special tribute for veterans
A Nebraska sporting goods store held a special tribute for veterans
A Nebraska sporting goods store held a special tribute for veterans
Inside a La Vista sporting goods store Saturday morning there was a special tribute for those who have served and those who continue to serve our country.
"We want them to feel honored and to know that their service has not been forgotten," Lori Bain said.
Bain is with the Omaha chapter of Quilts of Valor. The group presented handmade quilts, honoring veterans dating back to the Vietnam War.
"People were not as supportive as they are now so it really means a lot to me to see them being honored for their service," Randy Freye said.
Freye, who is active with the Nebraska National Guard, received a quilt. His mother received a certificate commemorating the service of her husband, Randy's father, who served in Vietnam and has since died.
"We follow along in the footsteps of those who came before us so we're carrying on the tradition that they laid," Freye said.
"It's an extremely emotional event for me," said Art Neppl, who served with the U.S. Army.
"People are stepping up and willing to put it all on the line for the freedoms that we have," he added.
For Neppl, the quilt symbolized the country wrapping around him. He plans to pass the quilt down to future generations, and share the service and sacrifice it also represents.
"From that they learn the respect for their country and what the military, both men and women, have done for their country," Neppl said.
The ceremony was part of Cabela's annual Hometown Heroes event, which recognizes Armed Forces Day.