text:
Putin Signs Ban on U.S. Adoptions
MOSCOW—President Vladimir Putin signed a bill Friday banning U.S. citizens from adopting Russian children, raising tensions with Washington as the Obama Administration is trying to win Moscow's support to end the war in Syria.
Russian officials portrayed the latest legislation as a tit-for-tat retaliation against a new U.S. law that seeks to punish Russians accused of human-rights violations.
Families Await, Lament Moscow's Move
"I have a daughter who I've told I love, who I've told we would bring home. I've showed her pictures of her bedroom. I'm afraid we're not going to be able to see her again, and she won't know why we didn't come for her." -- Prospective adoptive parent Kendra Skaggs
Moscow's legislation—which also bans U.S.-funded civic groups in the country—puts concrete action to rising Russian complaints, voiced most vehemently by Mr. Putin, that the U.S.'s own human-rights failings give it no credibility to lecture others.
But the adoption ban has exposed Mr. Putin to criticism both internationally and within his own government. Critics allege that the law makes political pawns out of Russian orphans, whose living conditions can be dire and prospects for adoption often slim.
The Russian ban is set to go into effect Jan. 1. Adoption workers and Russian officials said it will effectively halt new adoptions and end those already in progress.
The Russian moves raise pressure on the White House to respond more forcefully, highlighting the challenge the Obama Administration faces in trying to continue its "reset" policy of improving relations with Russia now that Mr. Putin has returned to the presidency.
Mr. Putin's election campaign earlier this year played heavily on anti-American themes. The Kremlin later moved to crack down on critics, with laws limiting protests and upping pressure on opponents.
For the U.S., the worst tensions with Moscow recently have been spurred by the Kremlin's refusal to abandon its longtime ally, Syrian President Bashar al-Assad, even as his regime wages a bloody civil war. Mr. Putin insists Moscow isn't backing Mr. Assad. But he is dismissive of Western calls to increase pressure on Mr. Assad to step down, which Mr. Putin argues could lead to an even more dangerous conflict.
On Thursday in Moscow, Russian Foreign Minister Sergei Lavrov met with top Syrian officials but gave no indication the Kremlin is distancing itself further from Mr. Assad.
"It's up to our partners," Mr. Lavrov told Russia's Interfax news agency, referring to the U.S. and its Western allies, "who are for a political solution only in words while in deeds, they are supporting a war to depose Bashar Assad."
With more talks scheduled for the next few days on efforts to ease Mr. Assad from power, U.S. officials have said they have been focused on developing a common strategy with Moscow to end Syria's bloodshed.
The new Russian legislation, some analysts say, is Mr. Putin's effort to realign his relationship with the U.S. to reflect Russia's emergence, relatively unshaken, from deep debt and a global financial crisis.
"This is the perfect time to push back hard against the United States," said Tom Graham, a White House Russia specialist under former President George Bush. "This is Putin's reset, aimed at restoring the proper relationship between the U.S. and Russia, which does not necessarily mean a constructive relationship—only one in which Russia's independence, identity and power are respected."
Thursday's official reaction to Mr. Putin's comments came from a State Department spokesman, who expressed "deep concerns" about the adoption ban and said the U.S. is "deeply troubled by the provisions in the bill that would restrict the ability of Russian civil-society organizations to work with American partners."
Senior U.S. officials didn't respond to requests for further comment.
The Kremlin appears little troubled by the public-relations fallout it has suffered in threatening the foreign adoptions of Russian orphans, many of whom have disabilities and often live in Russian institutions into their teen years amid a shortage of potential adoptive families in Russia.
Adoption advocates in the U.S. have pointed out that U.S. families have adopted Russian orphans who have severe medical problems. Such adoptees often benefit from U.S. programs for disabled children, they say, noting that Russia doesn't offer corresponding services.
Russia's media has run high-profile stories about deaths of Russian adoptees in the U.S. While the 19 documented deaths since the early 1990s need to be addressed, the number is a tiny share of more than 60,000 Russian children who found U.S. families over the past two decades, said Adam Pertman, executive director of Donaldson Adoption Institute, a not-for-profit research group in New York that focuses on adoption policies.
On Thursday, Mr. Putin said the U.S. hasn't given Russian officials access to adopted children in America, a stance he called "provocative and arrogant."
" I have a daughter who I've told I love, who I've told we would bring home. I've showed her pictures of her bedroom. I'm afraid we're not going to be able to see her again, and she won't know why we didn't come for her. "
He suggested the adoption ban could be extended to other countries, saying that Russia needs to protect its population "resources."
Russian officials have said that they hope to put the tensions over human-rights issues behind them now that Moscow has responded to what it saw as a provocation by Washington.
Known as the Magnitsky Act, for Sergei Magnitsky, an anticorruption whistleblower who died in a Russian jail in 2009, the U.S. law imposes visa bans and financial sanctions on Russian officials and their families alleged to be involved in that case or other human-rights violations.
On Friday, the only official charged with Mr. Magnitsky's death walked free after a Moscow court acquitted him of negligence.
Mr. Magnitsky died after his pancreatitis went untreated, and an investigation by Russia's presidential council on human rights concluded he was severely beaten and denied medical treatment. Prison doctor Dmitry Kratov was the only person to face trial in the case.
Judge Tatyana Neverova said she found no evidence that Mr. Kratov's negligence could have caused the lawyer's death. The acquittal was widely expected after prosecutors earlier this week dropped their accusations, saying they had decided there was no connection between Mr. Kratov's actions and Mr. Magnitsky's death.
The latest Russian restrictions on civic groups go beyond measures the Kremlin took earlier this year to restrict what it called efforts, mainly by the U.S., to manipulate Russian politics through financing political groups.
U.S. officials dismiss those allegations.
Earlier rules required foreign-funded NGOs involved in any activity deemed by Russian authorities to be political to declare themselves "foreign agents."
The new law includes an outright ban on U.S.-funded groups, as well as a prohibition on Russians holding dual U.S. citizenship from holding senior jobs in such groups.
That clause appears targeted at Lyudmila Alexeyeva, a Soviet-era dissident and frequent Kremlin critic who heads the Moscow Helsinki Group, an activist organization that traces its roots to the Soviet era.
"The MHG survived the Soviet regime and this Duma [the lower house of parliament] we'll survive as well," said Ms. Alexeyeva, who became a U.S. citizen after Soviet authorities stripped her of Soviet citizenship and now holds a Russian passport as well.
—Jay Solomon, Alan Cullison and the Associated Press contributed to this article.
Write to Gregory L. White at firstname.lastname@example.com


text:
Caraway Fourth of July celebration schedule
Caraway Lions Club is busy getting ready for the 66th annual Fourth of July picnic.
The Bluff City Carnival will begin Friday night, June 29, and run through July 4. The food venders will also start on June 29.
A parade will be held Wednesday, July 4. Line-up will be at Riverside East School at 8 a.m. and will leave at 9 a.m. Preregistration is not necessary for the parade. Anyone wishing to be in the parade can show up at the school.
"We welcome anyone who wants to be part of the parade," Bernard Berry, Caraway Lion member, said. "We want to have a good parade with lots of participants to kick off the day's activities."
Following the parade, the bandstand will open with Brother Ricky Stevens welcoming everyone and remembering service men and women. Following the ceremony, the Regeneration gospel group will perform.
Later in the day, there will be open microphone on the bandstand for individuals who would like to sing a song. Anyone wishing to sing will need to contact Bernard Berry at 219-3829.
Demolition derby will return inside the ball park beginning at 7 p.m. The cost is $5 per person. Following the derby, the annual fireworks display will be held.

subset: commoncrawl


text:
BMW 760Li Exhaust Manifold Replacement Cost
Know what price you should pay to get your vehicle fixed.
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The exhaust manifold is located between the engine cylinder head and catalytic converter. The purpose of this manifold is to collect exhaust gas as it leaves the cylinder head.
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As the engine pumps hot exhaust gases out of the cylinder head, the exhaust manifold receives it, and pressure builds inside the manifold. The metal gasket expands with the cylinder head and manifold, to fill the tiny gap between them, so back pressure may build without the gas escaping the exhaust system.
Some exhaust manifolds are heavy cast-iron devices designed to store the extreme heat caused by the still-burning exhaust gases leaving the individual cylinders. This helps sustain the combustion burning process into the next downstream emission device, the catalytic converter. The exhaust manifold is bolted directly to the engine cylinder head.
What are the symptoms related to a bad exhaust manifold?
When the exhaust manifold becomes corroded to the point of failure, the result will be a tapping noise from a crack in the exhaust manifold. If the muffler bracket has broken, or the rubber hanger is worn, the muffler and exhaust pipe may hang down, placing additional strain on the hot manifold, and cause the exhaust manifold gasket to leak. Lastly, leaking from the exhaust manifold could register a lean fuel condition at the oxygen sensors, causing black smoke from the exhaust under heavy acceleration, check engine light illumination, and OBD trouble codes for exhaust and emissions, fuel delivery, and lean running conditions.
Can I drive with an exhaust manifold problem?
Driving a vehicle with a leak in the exhaust manifold is generally not recommended for very long. It can ruin fuel mileage, fail a smog inspection, ruin the catalytic converter, and cause damage to exhaust valves.
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Normally, the exhaust manifold can go thousands of heat cycles before failure, but engine condition, and driving style may play a significant role in longevity, except for in cases of corrosion, and collisions. Most exhaust manifolds last the lifetime of the engine, and beyond. However, since the rate of decay is dependent on the operating environment, the likelihood of replacement is based on age, rather than mileage. Lastly, hot engine temperatures from improper air fuel ratios will cause leaks in cast manifolds at any mileage.
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Identifying an exhaust manifold leak can be very easy if ticking is present, and plenty of exhaust gas is making a stink at the engine, but minor leaks can be tricky. Ordinarily, the vehicle will be raised, and the exhaust manifold will be inspected for signs of leakage, such as black marks, and burned non-metallic components around the exhaust manifold. If there are no signs, the exhaust may be smoke tested, or plugged to make leaks more apparent.
How is an exhaust manifold replaced?
Exhaust manifold and gasket replacement only requires the manifold retaining hardware to be removed, the old gasket removed, and all mating surfaces cleaned thoroughly. If the manufacturer specifies sealant, it is applied to the gasket, otherwise the gasket is placed on the exhaust studs. The exhaust manifold will slide in place on the gasket, and the technician will torque new exhaust manifold retaining fasteners to factory specification.
RepairPal Recommendations for exhaust manifold issues
As manufacturers spend millions of dollars designing the perfect exhaust system for their engines, we recommend using at least OEM quality parts, if not parts from the OEM.
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text:
Skip to comments.Sylvester Stallone: I Love Sarah Palin(Video)
Posted on 09/18/2008 5:01:42 PM PDT by My Favorite Headache
Stallone coming out of a restaurant is pegged by the razzi and autograph hounds...the political questions fly and Sly shows McCain/Palin some love...especially Palin ;)
I don't know why mine didn't hot link! lol
Thanks for the link. Hooray Sly!
I'm just helpin ......:o)
I honestly just copy the link onto the posting screen without html and post and it works !
Later friend.....
Tori Spelling also said the likes Sarah Palin, so we do hav a few who are not spewing hate out of Hollywood.
I would actually like to see some kind of list of Hollywood or other "prominent" people who are McCain/Palin supporters. Anyone know if one exists?
The liberals may have all the sappy meterosexual stars, but we have Rocky, the Terminator, and Chuck Norris on our side. Advantage - us.
I want to publically say I turned a whole stack of Oprah's "O" magazines around in the rack at Target today. It felt good. LOL!!!
I've been turning US and Enquirer...LOL
That's the only way I can figure it out.....if I put one word of comment in addition to the link, it ain't "clickable"....
I've tried the HTML Sandbox and all that "a/href" garbage, and it doesn't work for me.
(Of course, I couldn't fathom how to post a picture here for my first five years.....)
For some reason, all replies get automatically hotlinked. But the original post does not.
FR will not automatically format a link in the main story or the original comment by the poster.
If you want a hot link without doing the "href" thing, you can hit the "exerpt" button and it will provide a hotlink to the url from the story.
Or you can post the story, then immediately reply to your own post. When you paste a url, it will hotlink.
You can always do the html thing in the first post. But I forget the formula.
I like doing it the way I did versus the HTML "click here" or "link" so folks can see what they are linking to versus the surprise they weren't expecting that some play here.
Ya'll stay safe and thanks for the tips !
I turned stacks of Enquirer magazines at Ralph's in Simi Valley today.
Here's a great source with pics, links, and further information:
(some on this list may not exactly be republican but support the troops or are libertarian)
Charlton Heston
James Woods
James Reynolds
Bruce Willis
Bo Derek
Clint Eastwood
Patricia Heaton
Rick Schroeder
Emma Caulfield
Pat Sajak
Arnold Scwarzenegger
Lisa Kennedy
Tom Selleck
Jesse Ventura
Shannen Doherty
R. Lee Ermey
Kim Serafin
James Earl Jones
Cheryl Ladd
John Malkovich
Heather Locklear
Drew Carey
Kurt Russel
Barret Swatek
Tracy Scoggins
Edward Hermann
John Larroqutte
Denis Leary
David Ruprecht
Aaron Russo
Chuck Norris
Gerald McRaney
Fred Thompson
Kelsy Grammer
John Gavin
Delta Burke
Tony Danza
Robert Klein
Johnny Grant
Richard Lee Jackson
Johnathan Jackson
Fred Grandy
Connie Stevens
Dixie Carter
Jimmie "JJ" Walker
Dale Dye
Jim Nantz
Bob Gale
Adam Sandler
Micheal Moriarty
Robert Duvall
Glenn Ford
Danny Aiello
Gary Sinise
Jerry Doyle
Denzel Washington
Thanks so much - great link!
I love Dixie Carter, she is so classy.
Denzel, huh? I'd think he'd be a big OBAMA guy.
Thanks again -
Looks like Sly has had some "work" done.
Thanks...and bookmarking for tomorrow when I can dig into this mystery.
Disclaimer: Opinions posted on Free Republic are those of the individual posters and do not necessarily represent the opinion of Free Republic or its management. All materials posted herein are protected by copyright law and the exemption for fair use of copyrighted works.


text:
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The discussion forums allow members to talk pool, find subs, buy and sell, report stats errors, etc. The private messaging system allow members to communicate privately between themselves.
To see an example IN2POOL.COM site in action, please visit the Tailgators pool league website and check out the following links:
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text:
Pat Burrell didn't try to send a message with his three-run homer in the bottom of the eighth inning yesterday in a 6-3 victory over the Diamondbacks.
It sure would be more fun if he did.
Burrell has the numbers to be at the All-Star Game tomorrow night at Yankee Stadium. Most people know by now that on-base-plus-slugging percentage is a great indicator of a player's overall production. Burrell's OPS is .975, which ranks second amongst NL outfielders. Here are the NL all-star outfielders and where they rank compared to the 33 NL outfielders that qualify for the statistic:
1. Matt Holliday (.981)
3. Ryan Ludwick (.955)
6. Nate McLouth (.907)
10. Ryan Braun (.882)
12. Corey Hart (.831)
18. Kosuke Fukudome (.793)
Alfonso Soriano (.879) doesn't have enough at-bats to qualify, but would rank 11th in the league if he did. It's quite clear that Fukudome, who fans voted in, shouldn't even be sniffing the All-Star Game. But Cubs fans are more zealous than Phillies fans, so Fukudome goes and Burrell goes home.
Phil Sheridan tells us that while the offense is good enough and the bullpen is good enough, it's quite clear the Phillies must add another starter to remain in first place and return to the postseason.
In the Phillies Notebook, the Phillies are in first place at the break for the 10th time in franchise history. Here are those years, and where they ultimately finished:
1950: First (Yankees swept them in World Series, 4-0)
1964: Second (suffered worst collapse in baseball history)
1974: Third
1976: First (Reds swept them in NLCS, 3-0)
1978: First (Dodgers beat them in NLCS, 3-1)
1982: Second
1993: First (Blue Jays beat them in World Series, 4-2)
2001: Second
2004: Second (Larry Bowa fired after season)
2008: ??????
It's all-star week ... in New York.
Let the madness begin.


text:
Officials and Leaders Gathered for Historic Ceremony Recognizing Forced Removal of Mexican Americans During Great Depression
Permanent Monument Honoring Victims and Survivors to be Housed at LA Plaza
LOS ANGELES, CA Today, government officials gathered alongside civil right leaders at LA Plaza de Cultura y Artes (LA Plaza) to unveil a permanent monument to acknowledge California's role in the forced removal of 2 million Mexican Americans between 1929 and 1944. Approximately 400,000 of those displaced were California citizens or residents. The commemoration falls on the 81st anniversary of the infamous La Placita raid by government officials, who seized hundreds of Mexican American community members.
U.S. Secretary of Labor Hilda Solis, who co-authored legislation in Congress, and other speakers discussed the government's role in the repatriation/expatriation drive, which included massive raids and roundups throughout the Los Angeles area and other parts of California. Other guest speakers shared their personal stories regarding the impact of the repatriation/expatriation on themselves, their families and their communities.
MALDEF and LA Plaza joined together to plan and host this historic event. MALDEF played an integral role through litigation and legislative advocacy in securing passage of SB 670 ("Apology Act for the 1930s Mexican Repatriation Program") by the California State Legislature.
"California's acknowledgement and apology help to ensure that our remembrance of this history will not wane. This remembrance has powerful lessons for today -- in the contemporary context of states and cities pursuing policies designed to terrify peaceful residents into leaving our country and a federal government breaking records for deportations through exploitation of a program that conscripts local police into biased immigration enforcement," stated Thomas A. Saenz, MALDEF President and General Counsel. Saenz spoke of the hope that we not repeat past injustices and that we avoid the future need for further apologies and memorials of mass injustice.
In conversation with Supervisor Gloria Molina (1st District), MALDEF leadership sought to house a permanent monument at LA Plaza, as the LA Plaza site and the nearby Our Lady Queen of Angels Catholic Church mark key locations for raids and roundups during the 1930s.
"Today is a significant day in Los Angeles and California history. This long-awaited commemoration on behalf of the victims and families of the 1930's 'Mexican Repatriation Campaign' has finally come to fruition," said Los Angeles County Supervisor Gloria Molina. "We are not only commemorating the State's apology, but LA Plaza de Cultura y Artes is bringing to the forefront a tragic piece of our history that was swept under the rug and cannot be found in our textbooks. LA Plaza is honored to serve as the permanent home of the 'State Apology' monument, which will serve as a reminder of a part of history that must not be repeated." Supervisor Molina represented Los Angeles County at the ceremony. She also serves as a Member of the Board of Trustees for LA Plaza.
Eva Longoria, a Board Member for both LA Plaza and MALDEF, served as moderator for the ceremony. Assemblymember Gil Cedillo (45th District) presented on behalf of the State of California. Guest speakers included California State Senator Joseph Dunn (Ret.), who authored SB 670: "Apology Act for the 1930s Mexican Repatriation Program;" and Emilia Castañeda, repatriation program survivor. During the ceremony, Castañeda gave remarks on how repatriation impacted the lives of her and her family.
Additional special participants included: Cruz Reynoso, California Supreme Court Justice (Ret.) and Civil Rights Lawyer; Dolores Huerta, Civil Rights Icon; and Esteban Torres, Chair of the Board of Trustees for LA Plaza and U.S. Congressman (CA-38 – Ret.).
Approximately 60% of those individuals removed during Repatriation were born in the United States and had American citizenship prior to their removals. The monument at LA Plaza will be permanently located near the heart of where some of the removals took place. This placement will allow all Mexican Americans, as well as tourists who frequent the area, to recall this regrettable incident in U.S. history and to better understand the impact the Repatriation programs had for the Mexican American and broader U.S. culture.
MALDEF (www.maldef.org)
In 2003, MALDEF represented repatriated Mexican Americans who sought reparations and an official apology from the state of California. Through the filing of a lawsuit and active engagement in public policy and legislative efforts to address the issue at the federal and state level, MALDEF helped secure the passage of former California State Senator Joe Dunn's legislation, SB 670: "Apology Act for the 1930s Mexican Repatriation Program." Governor Schwarzenegger signed SB 670 in 2005.
LA Plaza de Cultura y Artes (www.lapca.org)
LA Plaza was built to celebrate and honor the history and continued influence of Mexican and Mexican American culture, particularly within Los Angeles and the Southern California region. With the unveiling of a permanent plaque to be housed at LA Plaza, the sorrowful story of those individuals and families who lives were upended by California's repatriation program will finally be told. LA Plaza is proud to help share stories of the Mexican and Mexican-American experience and cultivate an appreciation for the enduring and evolving influence of Mexican and Mexican-American culture.


text:
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Freestanding Drywall Box in large open plan office. 4 sided + Ceiling. Exterior and Doors will be installed later by Joinery company. We require 100 mm Thick Drywall with basic Accoustic insulation. Interior of the small rooms to be Taped, sanded and painted. Install Sockets basic fix of electric works, we can hire seperate electrician if needed. Works should be carried out on Weekend.
What is the type of property?
What kind drywall and plasterboard installation do you need?
Standard installation
Which room(s) do you need work in?
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window sides
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Within 1 week
Any additional details?
I have 2 bay windows in my bedroom and as i would like to install blinds, will need to straight the sides of the windows with possible plasterboard


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National Regional Director: Veronica Johnson
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For our 2017-2018 Season we will be appointing a State Court to represent Georgia!
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Georgia state court will be via appointed title for 2018.
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We offer 3 ATP Packages to choose from:
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Let the journey begin by submmiting the form. Once your form has been recieved and reviewed by your NRD, you will recieve a follow up email (be sure the email you provide is correct). When you recieve the follow up email your NRD will either request more information to determine rather you are a good fit for your state court or you will be supplied the ATP Application to be completed. If your NRD sends you a ATP Application it means they have selected you and would like to have you on their state court. Once you have completed the ATP application and returned it to your NRD they will present your application to the MARUSA board of directors. If you are approved by the board of directors you will be offered a state title which has been offered to you by the MARUSA board of directors. The offer is valid for 7 days. After 7 days the title is opened back up into the ATP system.
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text:
Foreign Minister Bob Carr has welcomed news an Australian man held hostage for more than a year in the Philippines is alive, but says his prolonged captivity is of major concern.
Warren Richard Rodwell, who was abducted on December 5 last year by armed men in the southern Philippines, has appeared in a video as proof he is alive.
On the recording, Mr Rodwell said he was kidnapped by the notorious al-Qaeda-linked group Abu Sayyaf and was being held in isolation.
He understood negotiations were under way for his release, but said he held no hope of ever being released.
Senator Carr said the Philippines government was leading the response to the case and had devoted significant resources to securing Mr Rodwell's release.
"We are also in regular communication with Mr Rodwell's family," Senator Carr said in a statement on Thursday.
"It would not be helpful to Mr Rodwell to comment further."
A spokesperson for the Department of Foreign Affairs and Trade also said it would not be in Mr Rodwell's interests to elaborate on details of the case of its handling.
Philippine intelligence officials said on Wednesday they believed the video, circulated on YouTube, was authentic.
In it, Rodwell held a copy of a local newspaper dated December 15 and said the recording was made the following day.
The kidnappers demanded an initial ransom of $US23,000 ($A22,270) from his wife, with whom he runs a store in a seaside town on Mindanao island in the country's south.
According to police, Rodwell's wife said she had no way of raising the ransom.
The federal government advises Australians against travelling to central or western Mindanao, where it warns there is a danger of kidnapping.


text:
|2009-06-13, 16:19
|Link #61
Senior Member
Join Date: Aug 2008
Unlike you, I don't see this the root of our health care problem. Imo, it's our policy to provide free health care to a portion of the population who consume this goods a lot.
Now it is much more likely for a person to have problems similar to the former, is it not?
|2009-06-13, 21:16
|Link #62
Obey the Darkly Cute ...
Join Date: Dec 2005
Location: On the whole, I'd rather be in Kyoto ...
Age: 61
Thanks to JMvS for actually supplying *useful* information on the advantages and problems that the Swiss system has.
|2009-06-13, 21:57
|Link #63
Aria Company
Join Date: Nov 2003
Also rich people are far more likely to have a disease caught early and be able to get treatment for it, giving them a higher survival rate.
Once again, US highest cost per capita for medical care and not even close to the top for that medical care. Something is wrong there.
|2009-06-13, 22:41
|Link #64
Senior Member
Join Date: Aug 2008
The reason for health insurance is the exorbitant cost of health care which leads us back to the supply and demand curve. And what are people suggesting? Fix the insurance policy? What kind of logic is that?
Imagine a physics paper starts with: "Suppose heat is transferred from a cold reservoir to the a hot one...." I don't care who wrote that paper. It will fail.
Here, read this:
A fair paper. You know my stance: I'm all for option 1, for it is the only one that talks economic.
|2009-06-13, 23:28
|Link #65
Senior Member
Join Date: Oct 2007
Location: Land of the rising sun
Let's talk about the basic principle of insurance.
Some say it is a hedge in case something goes wrong but the origin of insurance to my knowledge started at a pub in London called Loydds.
Customers at the pub near the docks started placing bets on which ship will reach their destination and which won't.
Gradually ship owners started to bet on other ships that they will reach safely to their destination and when they didn't paid off to the owner.
In other words, it's another form of "GAMBLING".
With life insurance you're betting on the out come of your life so the house gains more if you have a higher risk since the minimum wage is higher for each participants. On the otherhand, people who have little risk, the odds becomes LOWER meaning check-ups works against the house.
The house can also call foul and not paying for example not declaring actual health status not taking check-ups, so on and so forth.
Another interesting thing about insurance is statistics, this becomes the basis for minimum wage but with any mathamatical tool there are limits. In this case, the smaller the denominator a slight change in numerator changes the outcome or in this case odds changes drastically but the chances of a person being sick within the denominator is universal so the house always has a better chance of gaining.
With any type of gambling the house wins at the end no matter what.
The real question is how much should they be allowed to win?
|2009-06-13, 23:36
|Link #66
Obey the Darkly Cute ...
Join Date: Dec 2005
Location: On the whole, I'd rather be in Kyoto ...
Age: 61
Well, now that iLney has so thoroughly established he has no idea what he's talking about, whether discussing the how existing system works or the merits of any proposed system, the rest of us can discuss the real problem, the source causes, and various ways to address it. I don't see any point on wasting further energy on him.
The link he points to can't even get off the second page without several major factual errors or incredibly misleading phrases. Follow the money and it is a product of several ultra-conservative think tank organizations with close ties to the health insurance industry and pharmaceuticals. Surprise...
Last edited by Vexx; 2009-06-14 at 00:41.
|2009-06-14, 00:45
|Link #67
Senior Member
Join Date: Aug 2008
Oh, yeah. Flame me. It's unavoidable though.
Made me wonder if you really read that small paper (it's obvious you don't). I can never make you shoot yourselves in the foot.
Let me guess: you assume that the whole paper support my point, right? Typical....
|2009-06-14, 02:53
|Link #69
Aria Company
Join Date: Nov 2003
|2009-06-14, 08:28
|Link #70
Senior Member
Join Date: Aug 2008
I have little time. So I'll make this short. First, you need to learn advance reading comprehension, the only reason I quote that source is because it mentions "cost," a concept that you don't seem to grasp. This is why:
2)Extremely big and powerful
3)Do not live on charities or tax money.
Here's one for you: the Church.
|2009-06-14, 09:15
|Link #71
Join Date: Nov 2007
Age: 29
Then detail their modus operandi.
1. Hamas
2. Al-Qaeda / Taliban
3. Islamic Courts Union
They don't run on profit (they are fighting for a "cause"), they are powerful enough to drop Qassam rockets on cities, terrorise capitals, invoke decrees that strike fear even into pirates and they run their own poppy plantation and arms trades.
|2009-06-14, 13:43
|Link #72
Obey the Darkly Cute ...
Join Date: Dec 2005
Location: On the whole, I'd rather be in Kyoto ...
Age: 61
Here's a whole list of non-profit health insurance providers who meet those requirements.
Really, you have *yet* to demonstrate you understand how the current system works and your broken examples lead others to conclude you don't understand how it works. You have yet to show you've done any serious research - soundbites and fanciful ideology is what you've given. As far as we can tell, you've never even interacted with a health insurance company (or a medical services provider) as a customer, much less done any study on how they operate or what their costs are.
You've repeatedly sidestepped or ignored questions that you don't want to answer in favor of nitpicking at the posts of others with snarky one-liners. You reject or ignore any attempts from posters who patiently try to explain how the current system works. For all intents and purposes, you simply appear to be trolling to divert energy away from a constructive discussion in which all sides might learn something. Its rather like you've entered a discussion about quantum mechanics and keep interrupting with questionable assertions about basic algebra.
Last edited by Vexx; 2009-06-14 at 17:08.
|2009-06-14, 18:14
|Link #73
Senior Member
Join Date: Aug 2008
Hey, I ask to list those that satisfied all the 3 criteria not just "non-profit." Jeez...
I have an experience. But it is quite different from what you think. A friend of mine, who was an international student, was involved in a small accident. She was admitted to a hospital famed for treating such injuries and very affordable, that is, if the patient were poor and had no health insurance since the it was run by apprentice doctors. My friend, of course, had an insurance and she naively told the staffs there she had an insurance. In the next week, that hospital charged her ~24,000$. Unfortunate for her, that hospital was not in the list of the insurance company from which she bought her insurance.
The insurance company only agreed to pay 5,000$ since it was the maximum fee to treat her injury in one of its facility. And 5,000$ was also the fee for an uninsured patient treated in that hospital.
What did I think about it? On one hand, I really appreciated that hospital's effort to help the poor. On the other.... It's so f*** up.
Problem: Joe had a cancer and received a bill of 500,000$ which obviously he cannot pay. His insurance company only agrees to pay 300,000$ which is stated clearly in its policy. And there are many people like Joe in the society.
Proposed solutions:
Yours: how to make the insurance company pays for 500,000$.
Kamui4356's: how to prevent Joe from having that cancer in the first place.
Mine: how to make the it 20,000$ instead of 500,000$, or even less.
Personally, I find it more constructive to debate with Kamui4356. At least, he wanted to reduce to cost even though I find his suggestion would lead to adverse effect. Yours, on the other hand, doesn't solve anything. The obscene price tag is still there.
If you want to attack me, go straight to the fact that doing what I suggested would initially destroy millions of people who are so used to the system. And for me, they have done nothing wrong. But others are also not at fault so why must they deserve this crappy system?
|2009-06-14, 19:21
|Link #74
Join Date: Nov 2007
Age: 29
Here is a bill I chocked up in middle school. Car accidents, a suicide attempt and skin graft of a 30+ stitch scar after getting hacked by a machete. It is over $900,000 but my parents are currently debt-free, mortgage free, and survived the instalments.
Maybe I was lucky it was subsidised by the insurance company. But being from a middle-income, my parents only finished paying the bills after I entered by 2nd year in high school. There is such a thing as a DELAYED payment, with interest, but considering the fact you earn as you pay and not have to fork out a lump sum, it is a blessing in disguise.
Besides, in emergency cases, even if it is cancer, the doctors have to treat first and get paid later. Almost every single country does and practice that.
Healthcare isn't being about totally in favour of the patient. The doctors don't sacrifice nights studying medical science. Neither should it be lopsided to benefit the private practitioners too.
Get a bite of reality. It isn't as screwed-up as it looks.
|2009-06-14, 19:35
|Link #75
Aria Company
Join Date: Nov 2003
As to rich people having a much higher survival rate: http://www.medscape.com/viewarticle/582457
"Among patients living in the highest socioeconomic quartile, the 3-year observed survival rate was 59.9%, compared with 48.8% for patients in the lowest quartile."
That article had the clearest numbers, but there are lotsof others that reach the same conclusion. 11.1% is a rather signifigant difference. I'd also point out that socioeconomic factors are attributed as the leading factor to different survival rates depending on race.
Also, http://www.cbcrp.org/publications/pa...er/page_15.php
This one suggests that much of the difference in breast cancer survival rates is due to the more affluent having it diagnosed sooner, thus starting treatment at an earlier stage. This shows how important early detection is for things like cancer, something far more likey to happen with equal access to treatment.
As for the rest, we're not going to convince the other that we're right. Discussing this any further is unlikely to change that. The Declaration of Independence says people have the unalienable right to life, liberty, and pursuit of happiness. I believe that access to healthcare is a major component to that first one, and a notable contributor to the third.
|2009-06-14, 19:42
|Link #76
Senior Member
Join Date: Aug 2008
Hey, who knows. I just throw in a random number.
And you are right. People don't spend ~10 years studying to save humanity You really believed that they would charge you 900,000$ if they knew you didn't have an insurance. The insurance companies' hands are not clean but neither do those of doctors, hospital, patients... But somehow, quite a portion of the population is shielded from this mess by the government, which costs the nation dearly.
You are right. The system should not protect anyone.
|2009-06-14, 20:47
|Link #77
Gregory House
IT Support
That's so sad. I think I need to cry now.
|2009-06-14, 21:22
|Link #78
Aspiring Aspirer
Wait so the doctors will charge you $100 000 for a $900 000 surgery if you don't have insurance. Where did that $800 000 go? I don't think that doctors suddenly decide to starve for a few months when their patients don't have insurance.
Tests and hours don't become free when you don't have insurance. It doesn't work that way. How can the hospitals and institutions afford to take a $800 000 debt to treat someone when they don't have insurance? Are you proposing that the hospitals, the institutions which sole responsiiblity is simply dispensing the service is liable to pay for someone's medical fees? This is much worse than "forcing" insurance companies to pay for it like you mention. You're expecting an organization to pay for something which they aren't responsible for, its an unknown cost for them. Atleast insurance companies are prepared and have the financial backing to pay for medical expenses; their purpose in the current scheme of things.
Like you said, doctor's hours are not free, but in no way are they going to overcharge because they can, believe it or not insurance companies have "regulations" or lack of, and so do medical associations and even the government! You can't get rid of a cost that is there, only prevent it beforehand or divert it somewhere else.
|2009-06-14, 21:35
|Link #79
Obey the Darkly Cute ...
Join Date: Dec 2005
Location: On the whole, I'd rather be in Kyoto ...
Age: 61
Of course, he totally missed that Kamui4356 and I are on the same page and fabricated an imaginary position to put me in. :P
I advocate:
1) preventative care;
2) a single payer non-profit system to eliminate the expansive amount of money that simply leaves the system via the amazing profits insurance industry racks up. It also eliminates the vast amount of resources squandered dealing with hundreds of different plans. The insurance companies can still have a seat at the table by bidding on execution of the processing (though at controlled profit level just like other contractors to the government). Everyone would be part of the system - those who meet low-income requirements would be subsidized. I'd pay for that by taking the cap off of medi-taxes (currently only the first $100K of income is taxed).
3) tort reform; so that insurance industries can no longer charge care providers up the ass for liability and malpractice insurance. That would be coupled with a process to get lousy caregivers out of the system and provide victims equitable redress.
4) I'd also invest in resources -- to increase the number of care providers with educational assistance.
Strangely, the non-profit HMO I belong to basically fits the bill nicely --- the only reason it costs as much as it does is because the user pool isn't big enough. One of the other benefits to single-payer universal healthcare -- it spreads the cost load over a huge population. The whole notion of "getting your healthcare through your employee" is just a busted way of slicing up the population so insurance can charge more (less bargaining power).
|2009-06-14, 22:29
|Link #80
Senior Member
Join Date: Aug 2008
Nah, he's different from you. What he suggested something that hopefully would pay off. That is, eventually, his goal is to bring down the demand curve.
You, on the other hand, suggested lots of good things which all come down to depending on some agent to pay the bill eventually.
While you think that the current resources used in health care is not enough. I and hopefully, he think that the way those are being spent is too wasteful.
Fundamental difference.
@ClockWorkAngel: If I were in the position of the cashier, I wouldn't charge someone that much if I knew he couldn't pay. On the other hand, if I knew you and your insurance company would pay that 900,00$ (and assumed that the conpany would pay most of it), why would I charge you 100,000$? Maybe I was greedy, maybe I hated big, fat insurance companies or maybe I just thought that the extra 800,000$ can be used to help more people without insurance or much poorer? The good (or bad) news is there are more people who has insurance than those who don't, and those who don't would not use the service that often. Plus, there are those who enjoy the Medi status.
It may start out just as 20,000$ instead of 3,000$. Despite that price, someone paid. Then many followed suit. Suddenly the real price became 20,000$. And so on... I don't think a successful insurance company would be as stupid as willing to pay 20,000$ in the beginning.
|health, healthcare
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text:
FALL RIVER — An Easton man who pleaded guilty to an eighth OUI charge was sentenced Thursday in Fall River Superior Court to 4½ years isnstate prison.
David L. Frates, 46, was arrested by Rehoboth police in January after a patrolman saw him parked in his car near an Exxon station.
The officer said Frates attracted his attention because he was tossing something out of the car, and because the vehicle, which had its engine running, had both it brake lights and a directional blinker on.
The officer said Frates smelled strongly of alcohol and was so drunk he was unable to even attempt a field sobriety test.
Frates's lawyer, Brenda Klein, reached a plea agreement with Assistant District Attorney Garrett Fregault and Judge Rene Dupuis to avoid trial, by entering a guilty plea to operating under the influence of alcohol and driving on a license that had been suspended because of a prior OUI conviction.
Frates, who previously served a 2½ year sentence for one of the convictions, was first arrested on OUI charges in 1985.
He must serve at least two years in MCI Cedar Junction before he can be considered for parole.
He also was sentenced to 2½ years in the Bristol House of Correction on the charge of driving on a suspended license, but with only 60 days to serve — all of them deemed served as result of his being held up until this week.
Before entering his guilty plea this week, Frates had been held without bail subsequent to a dangerousness hearing.
Frates, who police said refused to take a Breathalyzer test the night he was arrested, agreed to pay $1,250 in fines and fees and, after his release, to wear a GPS bracelet during six months of home confinement.
He also agreed to undergo treatment for alcoholism once he finishes his prison term.
Frates described himself as a Stoughton native who previously worked as a stone mason. He said he has taken Prozac for depression, but now only takes medicine for high blood pressure.
According to the Registry of Motor Vehicles, Frates was classified as a habitual traffic offender in 1996.
The courtroom was nearly empty when Frates entered his plea and then was led out by a court officer.


text:
IFT and Process Expo: One Time, Two Shows
For the first and only time, IFT Food Expo and FPSA Process Expo shared Chicago's McCormick Place.
Consider it a one-time event. Or two food-related trade shows that just happened to be in adjoining halls of Chicago's McCormick Place.
Whichever scenario, there is no future for a combined Institute of Food Technologists' (IFT) Annual Meeting & Food Expo with the Food Processing Suppliers' Assn. (FPSA) Process Expo. But this past one appeared to do reasonably well.
The combination that was billed as a dream team a year ago unraveled even before the dual show opened its doors this July 18. FPSA already said it would hold its own show, a biennial event, starting in November 2011, also in Chicago's McCormick Place. IFT next year will return solo to New Orleans in June.
IFT, which was responsible for most of the logistics of the joint event, reported a healthy crowd this year: 21,500 attendees. There apparently was no practical way to figure how many came for the ingredients show versus how many showed up for the equipment. For IFT alone, that's close to previous Chicago events (IFT seems to always draw better than 20,000 in the Windy City) and far above the 15,000 who attended the 2008 New Orleans event and the 2009 Anaheim, Calif., show.
IFT reported for its hall more than 1,000 companies exhibiting in some 2,100 booths and taking up 230,000 net sq. ft.
FPSA had 333 exhibitors taking up 100,080 sq. ft. The association also conducted onsite sales for its 2011 show, and said it already had signed up 200 exhibitors requesting 156,400 sq ft.
Here are some of the developments we found interesting at the twin shows:
Barry Callebaut AG introduced Acticoa, a high-flavanol chocolate to meet increasing consumer demand for functional foods. Available in milk and dark chocolate, Acticoa has guaranteed levels of flavanols, linked to health benefits such as skin nourishment, protection against cell damage from free radicals, and maintenance of cardiovascular health. And the manufacturing process preserves up to 80 percent of flavanols found naturally in raw cocoa beans.
Bunge Oils won an IFT Innovation Award for its PhytoBake shortening. This vegetable-based plastic shortening includes phytosterols, which not only add structure to the shortening but have been proved to help lower blood cholesterol. PhytoBake adds zero trans fats and can lower saturated fats by 46 percent in some formulations. Parked outside McCormick Place was Bunge's M.O.E. (mobile oil experts) truck, which fried treats with Bunge oils, then used some of the spent cooking oil as a biodiesel fuel. It follows upon the food truck craze in some areas of the country.
Butter Buds Food Ingredients debuted Butter Buds-Bacon, a natural flavor concentrate made without animal products. Ideal for vegetarian products, seasonings, snacks, soups, salad dressings, cheese and prepared foods, it was developed using enzyme modification of sunflower oil to create the Kosher Parve-certified ingredient, which is heat stable and has an 18-month shelf life.
The price of cocoa has been steadily rising, while its supply is frequently in question. Issues surrounding insecure cocoa sourcing range from political instability and industry underinvestment, to drought, insect damage and plant disease. It all adds up to major worries about price pressures and supply shortages for consumer product manufacturers whose products rely on cocoa as a key ingredient. Comax Flavors developed a range of cocoa extenders and replacers, available in both powdered and liquid form, which can replace anywhere from 10 parts to 75 parts dutched cocoa in the finished product with one part Comax flavor. The results range from a rich chocolate taste with deep, complex notes to a light caramelic-type cocoa flavor.
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A well-designed data warehouse provides users fast, easy-to-use, and efficient analytical capabilities for a large body of data. The popular Fast Analysis of Shared Multidimensional Information (FASMI) test can determine whether a data warehouse has achieved this goal.
In the FASMI model, the system must be able to meet the user's analysis requirements, yet still be easy to use. The system must also incorporate appropriate security requirements and must provide a multidimensional conceptual view of the data, including full support for hierarchies and multiple hierarchies. In addition, all data and derived information must be available to all applications. Our study demonstrates that when you use OLAP Services, even large cubes based on very large databases can meet the FASMI goal.


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Comprehensive DescriptionRead full entry
Description of Ailuropoda melanoleucaAiluropoda melanoleuca is the giant panda, a kind of bear that is native to central-western and south western China. The giant panda has a body shape typical of bears. It has black fur on its ears, eye patches, muzzle, legs, arms and shoulders. The rest of the animal\'s coat is white. Though it is classified among the Carnivora, its diet is mostly bamboo. Occasionally they eat other grasses, wild tubers, or even meat in the form of birds, rodents or carrion. It lives in a few mountain ranges in central China, mainly in Sichuan province, but also in the Shaanxi and Gansu provinces. Due to farming, deforestation and other development, the panda has been driven out of the lowland areas where it once lived. The panda is an endangered species, and needs active conservation measures. In 2007, an estimated 239 pandas lived in captivity inside China and another 27 outside the country. Wild populations probably number between 1500 and 3,000. Adults measure around 1.2 to 1.8 meters (4 to 6 ft) long, including a tail of about 13 cm (5.1 in), and are 60 to 90 centimeters (1 ft 10 in to 2 ft 10 in) tall at the shoulder. Males weigh up to 160 kilograms (350 lb). Females are 10â20% smaller than males. The average adult weight is 100 to 115 kilograms (220 to 250 lb). The giant panda has large molar teeth and strong jaw muscles for crushing tough bamboo. In addition to 5 fingers, the paw has a thumb modified from the sesamoid bone. the thumb helps the giant panda to hold bamboo while eating. The giant panda typically lives around 20 years in the wild and up to 30 years in captivity.


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Top collegiate wrestlers concerned that 2016 Olympics might be their last shot
DES MOINES, Iowa – Last summer, college wrestling stars Kyle Dake and Jordan Oliver were so excited at the London Olympics that they toyed with the idea of wrestling each other at a different weight class.
The 165-pound Dake and Oliver, who competes at 149 pounds, kicked around the idea of wrestling each other at 157 pounds. After watching Jordan Burroughs win a gold medal, Dake and Oliver got so fired up that they nearly skipped the celebration for a late-night training session.
"Kyle (and I) were ready to strap up and go back to the hotel and work out. We were so amped up to be back on the mat," Oliver recalled.
The enthusiasm of the U.S. wrestlers — and all of their teammates — is now accompanied by a sense of urgency. With the International Olympic Committee's recent recommendation to drop the sport from the 2020 Olympics, America's collegiate wrestlers are on notice: The Rio games in 2016 could be their only chance for Olympic gold.
That means wrestlers who might have targeted 2020 as their most realistic shot to make the U.S. Olympic team have to start training immediately in hopes of being ready in just 3½ years.
"We've got great people working on it, and they're going to take care of it. I'm confident we'll get it back. But in the meantime, we've got to propel our goals sooner. We've got to think 2016, and think that's it's our last shot," said Dake, who attends Cornell. "So after this season, I'm going to be going at it full time."
Such urgency is, in a way, a positive for a U.S. freestyle team that's on an upswing. The squad could soon absorb a ton of young talent concerned it might only have one Olympic cycle left.
Earlier this month, Dake became the first wrestler in the NCAA history to win four national titles in four different weight classes when he beat Penn State's David Taylor at 165 pounds. Taylor himself is a legitimate Olympic contender, having won the Hodge Trophy as the nation's best wrestler in 2012.
Oliver is a two-time NCAA champion at Oklahoma State with a strong freestyle skill set. Penn State's Ed Ruth will head into his senior season at 184 pounds with a 68-match winning streak and two straight NCAA titles.
Ohio State's Logan Stieber has won the national title in each of his first two seasons and nearly beat Coleman Scott in the U.S. Olympic Team Trials in Iowa City last spring.
Of course, there's a clear difference between domestic and international titles. But Burroughs showed it can be done by winning a gold medal just 18 months after winning an NCAA championship.
Penn State coach and past Olympic champion Cael Sanderson said it is clear the ancient sport has adapted and thrived.
"Wrestling is doing well. Excellent matches. Our kids are getting better and better technically. This is a different generation. This is a generation that's growing up with full wrestling on YouTube, and they can see technique, and they can watch every match. We're seeing that in their technique," Sanderson said.
The popularity for the sport remains strong in the U.S. While the more popular NCAA men's basketball tournament saw swaths of empty seats for some of its early sessions, every ticket for the six sessions of the NCAA championships in Des Moines was sold months in advance. The event included public appearances from the American-based Committee to Preserve Olympic Wrestling.
Still, one of the main concerns in the sport is the negative impact that a potential Olympic snub could have on future generations of wrestlers. For now, all they can do is train as though 2016 will be the final Olympic wrestling tournament.
"We've got to attack it like it's our last shot to win the Olympics," Oliver said. "I don't think they'll hold wrestling out of the 2020 Olympics. It's something that's in the process, but I think we'll get it back. I think we just need to focus on attacking the 2016 Olympics."
Follow Luke Meredith on Twitter: www.twitter.com/LukeMeredithAP


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Heffner, Reid, Reed named to all-tournament team
JACKSONVILLE, Ala. – An early New Mexico State goal in the eighth minute was enough to lift the Aggies to a 1-0 victory over Tennessee Tech Sunday at the Adidas Gamecock Soccer Classic at Jacksonville State.
Through 200 minutes of soccer at the tournament this weekend, the Golden Eagle defense held its opponents to just one goal. That one goal on Sunday, however, proved costly.
Mary Kate Koziol put New Mexico State on the board with 8:19 on the clock on an unassisted strike from 30 yards out, lifting the Aggies to a 4-2 record on the season while Tech fell to 2-3-1.
The Golden Eagles limited New Mexico State to six shots on goal on the afternoon while taking four themselves. The Aggies outshot Tech 11-6 overall and won four corner kicks compared to the Golden Eagles' three.
Tech goalkeeper Becca Toler played all 90 minutes and notched five saves while New Mexico State keeper Erin Wosick collected four saves and earned the shutout.
Midfielder Shannon Rountree accounted for two of Tech's shots on goals, whilemidfielder Jacquie Watkins and forward Sarah Gawthrop each contributed one.
The meeting was the first ever between the two schools.
Tennessee Tech had three players named to the all-tournament team for their performances against NMSU Sunday and in a 0-0 tie against Louisiana Tech on Friday -- senior Lindsey Reed and juniors Leigh Heffner and Kerri Reid.
The Golden Eagles return to action with a road swing to Virginia next weekend, where they will play at Longwood on Friday, Sept. 9 and Radford on Sunday, Sept. 11.


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Ignite Version 1.2 - Support For Alesis & Akai Controllers
Ignite Version 1.2 - Support For Alesis & Akai Controllers
Ignite is aptly named as it really provides a creative spark in occasionally overwhelming world of computer music. An inspirational interface and sounds from their acclaimed range of virtual instruments allows you to get pro grade results without interruption to your creative process.
With the upgrade to version 1.2 Ignite offers support for a range of Alesis and Akai controllers. Complete list of Ignite controllers here.
That means you're not fussing around with drivers and setup issues, install Ignite and your chosen MIDI controller and start playing your computer like a true instrument. Whether you're an old hand looking to find inspiration with new tools or just starting out we've got an ideal MIDI controller bundled with Ignite.
Get a feel for just how easy it is to make music using Ignite in this video.


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Today's Featured Artist: Michael Godard
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Wild painting with surrealistic objects and a good imagination stimulator1
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I was born in Argentina, beautiful country! Education, exhibitions, awards and all that is just boring stuff to read. So, let me keep it simple. My inspiration is the human being, an intricate simplicity. And music... of course. The colors of my art are in my soul. Sometimes I feel blue. Sometimes I feel orange. This quote by Ren� Magritte has the right words to explain my work. (Am I being pretencious? why not?) "My painting is visible images which conceal nothing: they evoke mystery and, indeed, when one sees one of my pictures, one asks oneself this simple question: "What does that mean?" It does not mean anything, because mystery means nothing either, it is unknowable".
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UNITAR supports Qatar's multilateralism [1]
October 2012, Doha, Qatar – In partnership with the Diplomatic Institute of the Ministry of Foreign Affairs of Qatar, UNITAR's Multilateral Diplomacy Programme recently delivered a training course for Qatari diplomats that aimed at supporting their Government's preparations for the 67th United Nations General Assembly in New York.
Over a period of two weeks, UNITAR delivered a complete overview of the General Assembly, and covered the essential skills needed for diplomats to represent Qatar effectively with respect to all issues of importance to Qatar and to the international community as a whole.
UNITAR offered an introduction to the structure and functioning of the United Nations system, its history and provided specific insight to the mandate and function of the General Assembly and its committees. Building upon participants' skills, sessions also focused on applying negotiation strategy effectively so as to build international progress with respect to real-life situations. Aside from reinforcing the participants' ability to negotiate and mediate effectively, demonstrating the virtues of active-listening and pacified communication, this branch of the training notably served as an illustration of the United Nations role in conflict resolution. Finally, the workshop strengthened participants' understanding and ability to apply and use the rules of procedure in conference diplomacy and at the General Assembly.
The workshop combined theory with practical exercises and interactive simulations allowing participants to gain a concrete sense of business as it may occur in reality, and allowing them to apply their theoretical knowledge in practice.
The programme's sessions were well received by all, and participants' were appreciative of the training that equipped them for their time in New York. This training will be followed by a series of other capacity building activities in the field of multilateral diplomacy to be delivered by UNITAR in partnership with the Qatar's Ministry of Foreign Affairs' Diplomatic Institute over the coming months and years.
For more information about this training or any other activities delivered by UNITAR's Multilateral Diplomacy Programme, please contact firstname.lastname@example.com


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BEFORE THERE WAS TRANCE, the elements of sound lay scattered in waves of energy still unheard. Although we know not exactly where it comes from, we know trance holds the power to create euphoric and melodic feelings of PEACE, LOVE, UNITY, & RESPECT. Trance takes us on a journey that transports us from Earth to another world--and beyond.
For a time, when trance ruled the underground, we lived in harmony and bliss. But like all great genres some wanted it for good, others for evil. And so began the war--a war of genres that ravaged our planet until it was consumed by greed and frivolous matters--and trance was thought to be lost forever beyond the far reaches of time. We scattered across the underground scene to the mainstream festivals--hoping to find others and rebuild what trance once stood for. And just when all hope seemed lost, trance found a new home . . .
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to handle the Word of God faithfully and tellingly, but provides invaluable resources for more experienced preachers, too. Most preachers would benefit hugely from the Workshops organized by the Trust."
...than people hearing God's Word rightly preached. So nothing is more vital for preachers than learning to rightly divide the Word. I praise God for raising up the Charles Simeon Trust to equip a generation in the most noble art and science of preaching and teaching."
for women—stellar training on skills for getting to a right understanding of the text and teaching it to others. But the best and most unique thing about a Charles Simeon Trust women's workshop is the opportunity to get critical feedback from other women whose only agenda is to help each other get better at handling the Bible."
has been doing excellent work equipping Christians in understanding and teaching the Bible. I happily commend and promote their workshops, and regularly have occasion to encourage people to attend them."
ellos nos ayudan a entender claramente la Biblia y nos capacitan bien para predicar y ayudar al oyente a aplicarla."
is gospel ministers who are well-trained in expositional word ministry so that they may, in turn, faithfully equip the church for this mutual edification. It is for this reason that I partner with the Charles Simeon Trust (CST). I am so encouraged by the work of CST that we not only host an annual workshop in Austin, I also participate in other workshops as time permits. I cannot recommend CST highly enough."
They are a great way to learn from people who are further ahead than you, to have your own thinking challenged and it's a great way to have fellowship around the central and pivotal responsibility that God's given us: to preach and teach His Word."
The Charles Simeon Trust is engaged in the vital work of encouraging and training biblical expositors. By harnessing the vast ministry potential of the internet, the Simeon Course offers excellent training to those who might not otherwise have access to this type of instruction."


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CHAMPAIGN, Ill. (AP) -- Illinois has rewarded coach John Groce's successful first season in Champaign with a contract extension and a $200,000-a-year raise.
Athletic Director Mike Thomas said Saturday that Groce's contract will be extended one year through the 2017-18 season. The raise will increase his pay to $1.6 million a year. Both changes still need approval of the university's board of trustees.
"The arrow is definitely pointing up for Fighting Illini basketball, and this helps solidify the commitment by both the University and John to continue moving the program to a championship level," Thomas said in a news release.
Groce credited his players, most of whom he inherited from a team that finished the previous season 17-15 and lost 12 of their last 14, costing coach Bruce Weber his job.
The Illini won 23 games, made it to the NCAA tournament and defeated Colorado before losing to Miami. They finished 8-10 in the Big Ten.
"This was one of the most gratifying seasons of my career because of how much I enjoyed coaching this group of players," Groce said. "They bought in from day one, had great attitudes, and gave tremendous effort which allowed us to have success."
Groce came to Illinois after a four-year run at Ohio.


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Officer Shows Great Restraint When Confronted by Armed Suspect
September 12th, 2012 by milwaukeepolice
District 5 Police Officer Dustin Langfeldt was assisting a stranded motorist in the 4100 block of N. 7 Street on Sept. 6, 2012 when he heard two gunshots from a nearby house. Officer Langfeldt immediately directed the motorist to seek safety behind his vehicle and then he went to the house to investigate.
As Officer Langfeldt approached the side door of the house man ran out and told him that his intoxicated father shot his dog and then pointed the loaded handgun at him. Moments later, the still armed 64-year-old man ran out, clearly searching for his son in an attempt to harm him. Officer Langfeldt, showing great restraint and calm, confronted the man and ordered him to drop his 9mm handgun. The suspect complied and Officer Langfeldt took him into custody.
The suspect is a felon and was arrested for mistreatment of an animal, felon in possession of a firearm and endangering safety by use of a dangerous weapon-domestic violence related and while intoxicated.


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WASHINGTON, June 27 (UPI) -- Azerbaijan on Wednesday decide the fate of energy security in Central and Southern Europe.
After more than a decade of diplomatic and commercial wrangling, the so-called Southern Gas Corridor from the Caspian Sea to EU markets was determined by the holders of the gas: Azerbaijan's state energy company SOCAR, which has emerged as a major regional energy player.
The company chose Trans-Adriatic Pipeline over its rival Nabucco West. TAP will move Caspian natural gas through Greece and Albania to Italy while Nabucco West would have snaked through Central Europe to Austria's distribution hub at Baumgarten.
While the corridor is now only in its opening stages, European Commission President Jose Manuel Barroso says, it could eventually provide 10 percent of EU natural gas needs.
It is notable that the decision of choosing between the two pipelines wasn't made by Washington, which since the Clinton administration has had a special envoy for Eurasian Energy (or comparable position) coordinating energy diplomacy among Brussels, Baku, Ankara and a host of other producers and consumers, from far-flung Turkmenistan to desperate Bulgaria.
The latter suffered devastating gas cutoffs due to its dependence on Russian exports. The primary purpose of the corridor would be to bring some diversification of sources so that Moscow cannot divide and conquer within the European Union's energy market.
The decision was also not made in Brussels where the European Commission has a lackluster record of herding the various cats to achieve its own stated energy security goals.
Turkey, once the greater Black Sea region's energy decision-maker, has yielded to SOCAR, which is the largest outside investor in the Turkish economy due to its construction of the largest section of the Southern Gas Corridor: the Trans-Anatolian Pipeline, across Turkey to the Bulgarian border. TANAP will connect TAP to Azerbaijani gas flowing to eastern Turkey through Georgia.
Why does all this matter? Because for years it was unclear that EU markets would get any gas from the Caspian. The various Central European governments and companies charged with realizing the Southern Gas Corridor were as disorganized as they were lacking in financing to make it happen.
The United States played a crucial role as the main broker of the corridor's main oil route, the Baku-Tbilisi-Ceyhan pipeline, considered by both Democratic and Republican administrations as crucial for trans-Atlantic energy security and providing a non-Russian-dominated outlet for post-Soviet Caspian producers. That was completed in 2005 but by that time American priorities had shifted away from Europe and the post-Soviet space.
U.S. diplomats hoped that the European Union and perhaps NATO would pick up the slack. Both proved lead-footed for reasons that are now abundantly clear. Ankara also had its own objectives, negotiating hard with Azerbaijan to keep as much of the gas in Turkey instead of shepherding it on to the European Union.
All parties involved were about to throw their hands up in frustration when Azerbaijan's SOCAR stepped into the breach two years ago announcing that the small post-Soviet country that had been very much acted upon in the 1990s was now going to tell its downstream partners what's what.
Not only did it take charge of the corridor but also announced far-flung retail and refining plans in Turkey and the European market. Earlier this month, SOCAR bought Greece's gas grid operator, beating out a company supported by Russia's Gazprom.
And, SOCAR was already one of Israel's largest providers of oil when it announced plans for cooperation on offshore gas development in Israeli waters.
All of this was aided by the false start of unconventional, or shale, gas development in Europe. The fracking technology and extraction requirements that have revolutionized gas production in North America weren't readily accepted in the protectionist, environmentally conscious European Union. So, conventional gas from the Caspian remained relevant, in fact, vital for European energy diversification.
A decade ago it would have been unthinkable that Baku would be dictating the terms of European energy security but in a fast-changing global energy landscape, yesterday's small actors are increasingly today's dynamic players and possibly tomorrow's major decision-makers.
The SOCAR experience provides a lesson for U.S. and European energy diplomats, such as those at the U.S. State Department's new Bureau of Energy Resources. They should be watching today's pygmy energy players such as Cyprus and Israel, which recently found gargantuan gas reserves and are about to announce plans for pipelines and liquefied natural gas facilities. Now is the time to court tomorrow's SOCAR.
(Alexandros Petersen is adviser to the European Energy Security Initiative at the Wilson Center in Washington and author of "The World Island: Eurasian Geopolitics and the Fate of the West."
(United Press International's "Outside View" commentaries are written by outside contributors who specialize in a variety of important issues. The views expressed do not necessarily reflect those of United Press International. In the interests of creating an open forum, original submissions are invited.)


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First of all, I brought the mechanically completed (no brain yet) bricklayer to my July TCRG robot meeting. It looks like I'll have to redesign the arm extension, but this design works pretty well. The Robocities concept is still a go.
The boards are done and on their way from Bulgaria. I just ordered all the parts for the boards, and all the motors I think I'll need. The only kicker is that one of the parts - the accelerometer, isn't due to ship until 3 days before I'm suppose to have this project finished and tested, so that's no good.
I've got some little sub projects, like making a brass cutter and an Acrylic cutter that I want to build before I build the next onslaught of robots. This sounds like a distraction, but one of my objectives for this project is to create Infrastructure tools that will allow me to build better robots faster. So that's what I'm doing today.


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The all-American appeal of crushing a car with a giant truck may transcend language, but Monster Jam isn't taking any chances. Say hola to El Diablo.
If not everyone got the memo about how an appeal to the emergent U.S. Hispanic demographic helps your commercial, social or electoral success, there are indications the word is spreading in ways that will be impossible to ignore.
Last week, influential Disney-owned sports channel ESPN announced a deal with Univision to carry English-language coverage of El Tri, Mexico's beloved national soccer team. And the Advance Auto Parts Monster Jam, which entertains millions of horsepower-loving fans in sports stadiums around the country, recently added a new "Hispanic truck" to its lineup of high-flying, car-smashing vehicles. El Diablo, piloted by Spanish-fluent driver J.P. Ruggerio, will make its South Florida debut on Saturday for more than 60,000 fans at Sun Life Stadium in Miami Gardens.
The initiative was based on evidence that was anecdotal but undeniable, says Mark Abernethy, senior director of brand marketing for Feld Motor Sports, which will operate more than two dozen Monster Jam performances in front of about 500,000 fans in 10 cities around the U.S. and Canada this weekend alone. The company's most-popular shows, Abernethy says, are in markets with large Hispanic populations, including Anaheim (which typically sells out three nights at Angel Stadium), San Antonio and Tampa.
But the decision to go beyond traditional TV and radio advertising to add a Hispanic-themed truck also was driven by social media and old-school, face-to-face crowd-sourcing, Abernethy says.
"We were getting more and more feedback, through social media and talking to fans at pit parties, hearing a lot recently that Hispanic customers wanted a truck that they could call their own," he says.
Monster Jam has had a truck, El Toro Loco, that was Hispanic in name only; it does not have a Spanish–speaking driver.
"This is the first time we really tried to delve into it even further, to add a truck and a driver and create a promotion around it," Abernethy said. Monster Jam fans chose the El Diablo name via online voting, and a new toy and T-shirt line is being developed.
While the trucks are the stars of the show — the "intellectual property" that Feld licenses on merchandise — Abernethy says choosing a driver for El Diablo was a challenging process. One that yielded gold in Ruggerio, he says.
"We are always testing new drivers, but we were looking for someone who could speak Spanish and was also an excellent driver," Abernethy says. "J.P. is a great driver, and he's very well-spoken. You have to be good at fan interaction … [drivers] will sign autographs for two or three hours at the pit party, until the last kid gets one."
For Ruggerio, who made his debut Jan. 5 in Tulsa, that's been the best part.
"I'll see a Hispanic family coming toward me, and they seem very gun-shy and hesitant. But the second I say something to them in Spanish, they get very excited, their eyes open up, and they start talking to me, asking everything about the truck and what I do," Ruggerio says. "What we're doing is making them part of our big family."
Ruggerio's own family is Italian-Argentine from Mendoza, Argentina, though he was born and raised in Burbank, Calif. Also a Hollywood stunt driver who aspires to a professional off-road-racing career, Ruggerio has done work in action films such as "Transformers," "Spiderman" and "John Carter."
Because Monster Jam sprang from Middle-American roots 30 years ago, it's an attractive entertainment option for Hispanics trying to feel more acculturated, Ruggerio says.
"I don't care what race, creed or religion you are, there is something fascinating about watching a 10,000-pound truck going 130 feet in the air and crushing a car," Ruggerio says. And his bosses were very clear about his role as a Monster Jam ambassador.
"I'm really honored to be that guy," he says, admitting that being the El Diablo driver in a market such as South Florida comes with added pressure. "Being so close to South America, it doesn't get more Spanish. So I'm extremely honored but a little scared. They expect me to do well."
It won't get any easier. According to Abernethy, Monster Jam, which is also popular in Mexico and Western Europe, will likely expand to Brazil or Argentina in the next couple of years.
The Advance Auto Parts Monster Jam
The tour comes to South Florida, with trucks including Grave Digger, Maximum Destruction, Grinder, Madusa, Spider-Man, Monster Energy, Iron Man, Gunslinger, Razin' Kane, Ice Cream Man, Bounty Hunter, Scarlet Bandit, Shock Therapy, Ground Pounder and El Diablo.
When: 7 p.m. Saturday; gates open at 5 p.m.
Where: Sun Life Stadium, 2269 NW 199th St., Miami Gardens
Cost: $18-$35, ages 2-12 $10
Contact: 800-745-3000 or MonsterJam.com
Get daily updates on South Florida entertainment and things to do at SouthFlorida.com and on Twitter at @BenCrandell.


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November 15, 2010
Nicolas Rossier conducted an exclusive interview with former Haitian President Jean-Bertrand Aristide in forced exile in Johannesburg. Aristide concludes: "We are poor – worse than poor because we are living in abject poverty and misery. But based on that collective dignity rooted in our forefathers, I do believe we have to continue fighting in a peaceful way for our self-determination, and if we do that, history will pay tribute to our generation." Rally for democracy in Haiti and Aristide's return Wednesday, Nov. 17, 5 p.m., Montgomery & Market, San Francisco.


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Brief SummaryRead full entry
Description"The short-finned pilot whale is one of two species of the genus Globicephala living in North American waters, mostly in tropical to temperate waters of the continental shelf. ""Globicephala"" translates directly to the most prominent characteristic of the genus, its round head. Short-finned pilot whales travel in coordinated pods of about 25 individuals. These may be groups of closely related females of all ages and their offspring, plus one or a few adult males. In tropical waters, pods may join together to form large herds, and are sometimes seen ""logging,"" a behavior in which they all face the same direction and bob like floating logs. Presumably they are resting. Males reach reproductive age at 13 and females at about 8 years. The average life span is about 45 years for males and 55 years for females. One unexplained phenomenon is that groups of these whales sometimes come ashore, strand, and die. Such strandings are relatively common on beaches in the Carolinas, Florida, and the Gulf of Mexico"
Mammal Species of the World


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Ok, the bug for a bike has bitten again. I sold my last bike (Yamaha GTS1000) about ten years ago since kid duty was keeping me from riding. Kids are now old enough that I can get out on a bike enough to make it worth doing.
I have never even had my leg over a BMW, but was thinking an R1200R would suit me fine. Only problem is I can't track one down to buy, none close by new or used. In the mean time an 09 R1200GS Adventure comes up for sale here in town.
I know they are two different bikes. Thoughts on the trade offs between these for a guy who will likely never get it off the road?
Also, the GS has about 37,000 miles on it. Anything I need to be aware of that might need attention at this mileage? Last, fair price for such?