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A Guide to Beck and Scientology for Journalists and Fans
June 12, 2008 UPDATE
The article that appears below this update was webbed soon after Beck's 2005 album, Guero, was released. Since then, Beck has managed to avoid the limelight as a celebrity Scientologist-with one notable exception.
In July 2007, in New York City, a filmmaker, video game creator, and blogger named Theresa Duncan died of an apparent drug and alcohol overdose. Her death was ruled a suicide. A week after Duncan's death, her companion of twelve years, the artist Jeremy Blake, was reported to have been seen walking into the ocean at Rockaway Beach, New York. His body was found off the coast of New Jersey five days later.
Just two months before her death, Duncan had stated in a post on her blog that she and Blake had been harassed by the Church of Scientology, and in the comments section of that post (since deleted), and also in a blog post she'd made in March, Duncan indicated that the harassment began after Blake worked with Beck (he designed the album cover for Beck's 2002 album, Sea Change, as well as related visual materials ). Following the couple's deaths, an article by Chris Lee in the LA Times revealed that Blake had extensively documented what he and Duncan perceived as harassment and obstruction by a number of people. "In a 27-page 'chronology' written by Blake in October [2006] in preparation for a lawsuit against the church that was never filed, he alleges the couple was 'methodically defamed, harassed, followed and threatened' by Scientologists. The document lists Tom Cruise, filmmaker-artist-author Miranda July, writer-director Paul Thomas Anderson, former Viacom Chief Executive Tom Freston, alternative rocker Beck and Art Forum Editor Tim Griffin, among others, as players in the dispute. In addition, a number of Hollywood talent agents and major league art collectors were accused of being in on the conspiracy."
In December 2007, the January issue of Vanity Fair that arrived on newsstands featured a story, "The Golden Suicides," about the deaths of Duncan and Blake and the events leading up to them. The author, Nancy Jo Sales, reported that in early 2003, Duncan told people that Beck was going to be in a film she was planning to make, Alice Underground, the story of a rock star kidnapped by two New York schoolgirls; Sales said that Duncan later wrote in an email (to a recipient Sales did not identify) that she and Beck had met "repeatedly" to discuss the film. However, before Vanity Fair ran the article, Beck was asked for a comment, and he denied the story via email, claiming that he had never met with Duncan to discuss being in her movie; though he admitted having read her script, he said he had declined to be in the film. He implied that his relationship with the couple was no more than an amicable professional acquaintance.
Even though Duncan told people that Beck had committed to being in her film, she later said that Beck had suddenly called her and bowed out of the project, offering no explanation. Duncan also maintained that Beck had wanted to leave Scientology, and that she and Blake had offered to help him. However, Beck denied this as well, telling Vanity Fair, "That's ridiculous. Totally false." He also wrote, "Had we been closer and discussed anything as personal as religion, I would have only had positive things to say about Scientology."
In the wake of the Vanity Fair story, there was a brief flurry of gossipy tabloid and blog speculation suggesting that Beck was somehow responsible for Blake's and Duncan's deaths. For the most part, though, in "The Golden Suicides" and earlier reports about the couple that appeared following their deaths (including articles in the LA Times and the LA Weekly), an image had begun to emerge of Duncan and Blake as conspiracy-obsessed, delusional, enmeshed in a web of paranoia. To some, Beck's denials supported, or were supported by, that perception. However, soon after the article with Beck's denials appeared, blogger Emmanuelle Richard brought to light an interview Beck had given to an Italian newspaper in August 2003. In a post on her blog, she asked, "Is Beck's memory a tad scrambled?" She recalled reporting a few years earlier that Beck had told Corrière della Sera (in August 2003) that he was planning to be in a film that would begin shooting that fall. The paper quoted him as saying, "It will be full of energy and full of characters: some kind of Alice in Wonderland set in the 70s. It still doesn't have a title. The director is a friend of mine and it will be her directorial debut. But I trust her."
As of this writing (in June 2008), Beck's next album, titled Modern Guilt, reportedly will be released, though no official date has been announced.
The Secret Life of Beck Hansen - A Guide for the Professional Journalist
Revised and updated March 28, 2005
Rumors have been around a few years suggesting that alt rocker Beck Hansen had become a member of the Church of Scientology. The real question should be, when was Beck NOT a Scientologist? Has Beck been lying to the media and his fans? Has the media just been hiding it? According to L. Ron Hubbard's dogma, Scientologists believe it is perfectly within the ethical boundaries of their "religion" to lie to non-members. But if Scientology is so great, why have Beck and Geffen Records worked so hard to keep Beck's lifelong involvement with the cult a secret? Why did we continue to read remarks by journalists insisting that Beck was not a Scientologist?
If you are preparing a piece on Beck, start by getting some background. Read some of the academic literature about cults. "Cults in Our Midst" (1996) by Dr. Margaret Singer is a great place to start. Also see "Combatting Cult Mind Control" (1990) by Steven Hassan and "Recovery From Cults" (1995) by Dr. Michael Langone. Ex-Scientologist Jon Atack's " A Piece of Blue Sky"(1990), Russell Miller's Bare-Faced Messiah (1987), Bent Corydon's "L. Ron Hubbard, Messiah or Madman?" (1992) and Paulette Cooper's "The Scandal of Scientology"(1971; revised for the web 1997) are devoted entirely to Scientology and are available for reading free on the Internet. Learn how cults control through brainwashing, hypnotism, coercion, humiliation and fear. Most importantly, learn the difference between a cult and a religion.
There have been several biographical works written on Beck. None of them have revealed any serious, in-depth research. They are largely based on press interviews of Beck. Because of this, chronological gaps and inconsistencies plague accounts of his life. One striking gap is the lack of references to Scientology, despite the fact that Beck's parents and some of his friends were Scientologists, he attended a Scientology-run school, and he took Scientology courses as a teenager. (In contrast, compare the numerous early interviews in which Beck mentioned his paternal grandfather, who was a Presbyterian minister, and his tendency, in the mid-late nineties, to cite his Jewish heritage-his mother is half Jewish-and how much he valued Jewish culture and traditions.) In 2002, though, interviewer Tim Perlich of NowToronto.com raised the subject. Note, in the selection below, that his interview with Beck is monitored.
Beck's family and childhood
Beck's father, David Campbell, and mother, Bibbe Hansen, have been Scientologists for over thirty years. Beck has told interviewers he was born at home on July 8, 1970, and has offered numerous stories of growing up in extreme poverty in a rough neighborhood. However, David Campbell was doing quite well as a session musician in the early 70's. Campbell was featured regularly in the Church of Scientology's Celebrity magazine as a successful session musician and arranger. When Beck was a boy, David was arranging and performing at concerts with Linda Ronstadt, and the family was living in comfortable homes in Hollywood and Laurel Canyon. Bibbe Hansen taught Lamaze classes for Church of Scientology members and apparently practiced as a midwife though no license is on file with the State of California. A weblog maintained by Bibbe's friend, Vaginal Davis, mentioned that Bibbe had delivered Marissa Ribisi (Beck's wife) and her twin brother, Giovanni. Beck was most likely born at home because Scientologists prefer to give birth at home and shun neo-natal screening and conventional medicine. Home births also accommodate the Scientology's "silent birth" rules about not talking to a newborn baby for a period of one week. While Scientology teaches that this reduces the trauma associated with a baby's birth, this is actually another method to destroy family bonds. (See discussions in the texts by Drs. Margaret Singer and Michael Langone and by Steve Hassen sited above. Family bonds are deliberately weakened and destroyed in cults because members are supposed to support the cult above all else. A common cult ideology says that a victim's life and family were horribly dysfunctional until they joined the cult. The cult solves all the victim's problems associated with the family by diminishing the family in every way possible.) Bibbe Hansen also had another son, Channing, about two years after Beck was born.
Beck has said in interviews that he was sent as a child to spend summers in Kansas with David's parents. He also mentioned in early interviews that his paternal grandparents exerted a religious influence and he attended church where his grandfather was a minister. As the nineties progressed, Beck began to mention to interviewers the fact that Bibbe was half Jewish, and commented a few times that he was raised Jewish. In at least one interview, he stated regretfully that he'd wanted to have a bar mitzvah but his family didn't have the money. He also told one interviewer in 1997 that he'd been sent for Jewish education. It seems that Bibbe was also developing an appreciation for her Jewish heritage; she talked about it in interviews, and put up a list of Jewish links on her website. (The subject came up when Bibbe and Sean were being interviewed by Vaginal Davis in 1999. Sean mentioned that Beck's Jewishness had a particular appeal for some fans: "When Jewish girls find out Beck is Jewish they just go crazy, cuz they feel that they can now bring him home to meet the folks. It's really important to his Jewish girl fans.') However, it is highly unlikely that Beck was raised Jewish. The Campbell's Scientology case supervisors would never have approved of Beck being sent to synagogue for religious education. Is it possible that the emphasis on Beck's Jewish background was an attempt to divert attention from the truth about his upbringing?
Most published accounts of Beck's early life refer to Bibbe as giving Beck a "bohemian" upbringing. Bibbe was briefly part of Andy Warhol's Factory in New York as a young girl. She was later involved in the LA punk scene in the late 70's. She was also the proprietor of a coffeehouse in LA called Cafe Troy. Other self revealed aspects of Bibbe's life stretch the definition of the term "bohemian." When Beck was about 5 years old, Bibbe, who was about 25, began dating a 15-year-old, Sean Carrillo. (The age of consent in California is 18.) They maintained a relationship and reportedly moved in together in 1980. Conflicting dates have been given for when Bibbe and David divorced; it is most often said to have happened when Beck was 13. The passage of time seems not to have diminished Bibbe's interest in younger men or her unorthodox views about marriage. In an interview conducted by Vaginal Davis in 2001, Bibbe and Sean were accompanied by a young man named Laki. Their comments about him were overtly sexual, and they referred to him as their "concubine."
Regarding sexual abuse of children in cults:
The budding, second generation Scientologist
Beck has been reported in various places, by a number of people, to have attended the Apple School of Los Feliz, which was run by Scientologists. Beck's elementary class portrait as "Bek Campbell" appears in an Apple School yearbook. It's not clear what years Beck attended the school, though it ceased operating in 1985. Beck dropped out of school in the ninth grade, after a short time in public school. Many children raised in Scientology, like Juliette Lewis, Leah Remini, and Lisa Marie Presley, drop out of school early. Cult-educated children who are later enrolled in accredited schools often find themselves hopelessly behind their conventionally educated classmates, so dropping out of school is an easy choice. The lack of education among cult-raised children is crucial for future indoctrination and recruitment. A child who has never been introduced to the scientific method or critical thinking techniques is ripe for brainwashing. He will more readily accept stories about being possessed by the spirits of space aliens or about being a descendent of shellfish, or believe that Dianetics can cure illnesses. Children raised in cults are also expected to support themselves at an early age, and Scientology is no exception. As little adults, they are expected to get jobs or work full time for the cult, so a formal education is not considered a necessity.
After dropping out of school, Beck completed at least 13 Scientology courses between 1986 and 1989 under the name Bek or Beck Campbell. The list below was compiled from back issues of Celebrity magazine. Sometimes the magazine's listing are incomplete, and some older issues are still not available, so this may not be a complete list. The dates are the approximate publication dates of the magazines; the courses would have been taken within a few months before that date. (Note that at a time in his life when Beck said his family was too poor to afford a bar mitzvah, there was enough money available for him to take expensive Scientology courses.) An ex-Scientologist, in a post on the news group alt.religion.scientology on April 7, 2004 has suggested that Beck's family was living at the Church of Scientology's Celebrity Centre in Los Angeles when Beck was a teenager.
It appears that Beck may have drifted away from Scientology sometime after he took the Pro TRs course in 1989; his name didn't show up on any more published course completion lists, he did not appear on lists of donors for more than a decade, and the rumors that he was a Scientologist did not begin to circulate widely until the late nineties. The reason for this separation is not known. Perhaps as a high school dropout with nothing more than a series of minimum wage jobs, Beck simply could no longer afford to pay the steep fees. For a time Beck seems to have kept his father at a distance. He claimed, in some interviews, to barely have known his father, and professed ignorance of David's activities. Beck may have realized his father's public involvement in Scientology could be detrimental to the budding career of a folk/blues/alt rock singer.
Beck went to New York with a girlfriend when he was about 18 (the age, as well as the year he went, has varied depending on the interview or article); he stayed, reportedly, about a year or possibly longer. During this time in New York City, Beck was encouraged by club owners to begin writing songs. He also spent time in Italy and Germany with his grandfather, artist Al Hansen, who was not a Scientologist. (Beck's maternal grandmother, Audrey Hansen, died in 1968.) In 1991 Beck returned to Los Angeles where he continued song writing and performing. Soon after his song "Loser" became a hit in 1993, Beck started using his mother's last name, Hansen, rather than his father's name, Campbell, by which he'd been known all his life, though it has widely (but incorrectly) been reported that the change was made when David and Bibbe divorced. Again, this change may have been instituted to blur the connection between Beck and his celebrity Scientologist father.
In the mid 90's, Beck was in a relationship with Leigh Limon and touring with mostly non-Scientologists. Beck enjoyed a period of intense creativity including the writing and recording of the album Odelay. If Beck was mentioned in Celebrity magazine during this time period, his name was not bold-typed, as references to "on lines" members (such as his father) routinely are.
Back to the fold...
As Beck's popularity grew and his monetary worth climbed, there was probably intense pressure from within Scientology on his family and friends to get him back on lines. This may have begun in 1998, when Beck worked with his father on the recording of his album "Mutations."
When Beck and Leigh suddenly broke up in 2000, the predominant gossip was that Leigh had been unfaithful to Beck (although later a gossip column would blame Scientology for the breakup). It was reported that when Beck showed up to evict Leigh from their house, he was accompanied by his attorney. After a short but highly publicized fling with Winona Ryder, Beck soon began to be spotted in the company of actress Marissa Ribisi, daughter of prominent Scientologists and a Scientologist herself.
In interviews, Beck has often been contradictory and obfuscatory about his life, but now that he is firmly entrenched in Scientology, his life is even more shrouded in secrecy. He is difficult whenever interviewers ask about his personal life. During the years Beck and Leigh Limon were together, he mentioned her frequently in interviews, and in 1997, Beck expressed his love for Leigh in a very open interview with Rolling Stone magazine. In contrast, only recently has Beck publicly acknowledged his relationship with Marissa Ribisi; a report that they were married on April 4, 2004, was leaked to a gossip column. When she began appearing in public, visibly pregnant, different due dates were mentioned (by Wayne Coyne of the Flaming Lips and Parade magazine), but they passed with no news of the birth. Not until late August 2004 was it announced (on a radio show in the UK) that Beck and Marissa were the parents of a baby, named Cosimo Henri. No date of birth was given, but he was probably born in May or June '04. (The same radio show also said that Beck and Marissa were wed in June 2003.) It is easy to suspect that Beck refused to acknowledge his relationship with Ribisi for so long because her membership in the COS was well known to the public.
In another odd twist, a Beck fan on the Internet posted in her "livejournal" that Truck Torrence, Beck's web master, had been instructed by Beck not to reveal when the baby was due or when he was born. Beck closed down the fans' bulletin board on his web site, Beck.com, without explanation in May 2004. His journal entries ceased over a year ago.
The marriage of Beck Hansen and Marissa Ribisi joined two families that had been involved in Scientology for years. David Campbell, an OT VI Solo NOTs auditor and one of the COS's most successful celebrities, and his wife, Raven Kane, are very active in the organization. Bibbe Hansen has attained the level of OT V, and her husband, Sean, and son, Channing, have completed some courses. Like her parents, Marissa's brother, Giovanni, and sister, Gina, are long time Scientologists. Marissa herself attained the state of "Clear" in 2001.
After years of ducking the issue of his participation in Scientology, Beck slowly began making his affiliation public. In early 2003, under his original name, Campbell, Beck was listed in the COS's Impact magazine as a "Sponsor for Total Freedom," signifying that he had made a $5,000 donation. This money goes into the so-called "IAS War Chest," the bulk of which is used to fund litigation, dirty tricks, and Scientology's most vicious and anti-social behavior. In March 2004, Beck played at a "benefit" at the Knitting Factory in LA, which was advertised as a fund raiser for the Los Feliz Mission "which helps fight illiteracy and substance abuse," though it was not announced that the Los Feliz Mission was a Scientology mission and the funds were being raised for its establishment. Beck also performed for fellow Scientologists at a Celebrity Centre event in August '04. As of the July 2004 issue the Celebrity magazine, Beck's name appeared in bold type ----official recognition that he is a member.
Preparing yourself for the Beck interview
If you interview Beck Hansen you will probably be monitored and may have to agree not to discuss his controversial personal life. Keep the following in mind.
1. Beck is relatively uneducated. He has just an eighth grade education, and most of this education seems to have been in Scientology schools. He most likely has never had conventional education in science or health. This is by cult design, because lack of education makes a victim easier to manipulate.
2. Beck is likely unaware of much of the "wog" world around him. Hardcore Scientologists are typically discouraged from watching television or reading the newspaper, and are told that the media stories about Scientology "Are all lies" Many have installed on their computers supposedly innocent software provided to them by the COS that blocks a long list of key words, including the name of this website, names, and websites. Beck will most likely not be able to discuss the elections, the war, or the economy. He may never even have voted. A cult member is told that his primary purpose in life is to cross the bridge to "Total Freedom" and "Clear the Planet" - which means turn everyone into Scientologists. Hubbard states in Dianetics that only those who have attained "Clear" should be able to vote.
The offices of the Church of Scientology are highly compartmentalized. Individual members are rarely aware of what is going on within the Church. By keeping the compartments of Scientology separate, Hubbard ensured that no one would have a complete and true picture. So Scientologists generally have little accurate information. Scientologists are convinced that they belong to the only group who can save Mankind. (1) Beck is probably not aware of any of the abusive practices of the cult. The news he receives about Scientology from his handlers consists of carefully sanitized updates that offer only positive news and dismiss media reports as total lies.
3. Scientologists do not generally associate with non-cult members in their daily lives. With the exceptions of his publicist and his manager, Beck's legal and personal work is most likely conducted by Scientology lawyers and other handlers. As with other Scientologists, Beck likely must consult his case supervisor about how to handle any conflicts that arise or significant decisions to be made, both personal and business.
4. A Scientologist believes that the cult's hypnotic, brainwashing auditing sessions and the E-meter used during them can read his mind and he must not withhold anything from his auditor. This means that every aspect of Beck's life may have been revealed during auditing: his sexual thoughts and activities, his feelings about other people, any crimes he may have committed or illegal drugs he may have used, etc. Information obtained during auditing is carefully recorded in a computer data base. Scientologists know this information is kept on file. Scientologist officials have a well-documented history of using this information to blackmail and harass members who leave the Church and dare speak out about their experiences.
5. A Scientologist is expected to tell his case supervisor everything he has said and done. For example, if you engage Beck in a conversation about the evils of Scientology, he must tell his case supervisor this, and he may be ordered to stay away from you. He may also be disciplined in some way. While Scientologists are often self-confident and self assertive, they are not allowed to discus their "cases" (difficulties), and are discouraged from even thinking about personal problems outside the counseling room. They are prohibited from entering detailed discussions of Scientology ("verbal tech"), and from voicing criticism of Scientology. (2)
6. A Scientologist must inform on his parents, his wife, his children and his other Scientologist friends, acquaintances, and co-workers should he witness them engaging in "overt" activity contrary to cult teachings. This snitching is called a "knowledge report." If a Scientologist is aware of out-ethics behavior (violation of Scientology rules) by another Scientologist and fails to file a knowledge report about it, he himself will be considered out-ethics if the behavior is discovered.
7. If anyone a Scientologist knows is perceived to disapprove of Scientology, the Scientologist may be ordered to "disconnect"-that is, to sever all contact-from that person, even if it is his own wife, parent, or child; he would have to do so and never see or speak to that person again. This disconnection policy is strenuously enforced.
8. Scientologists are required to sign a release form containing the so-called "Lisa Clause" which states that the signer opposes all psychiatric treatment and authorizes representatives of the COS to intervene to prevent psychiatric treatment and instead forcibly place him on "Introspection Rundown" if his case supervisor deems it necessary. This is the same treatment that resulted in the death of Lisa McPherson, the Clearwater Scientologist who tried to escape the cult but was returned to their custody and died 17 days later. The wayward member is locked up in isolation, even against his will, and rarely spoken to; he is not permitted contact with family, friends, or loved ones, and may be denied appropriate medical care, and "audited" until his case supervisor believes he is ready to behave properly.
9. If you criticize the cult in a Scientologist's presence, he may become irate. He has been trained to attack you verbally and dismiss all your claims as lies and religious bigotry. He has been taught that anyone who speaks out against Scientology is criminally insane. It has been widely reported that an active member believes it is OK to lie to a non member about anything.
10. According to mental health professionals experienced in rehabilitating cult victims, a Scientologist who is currently "on lines" lives in an altered mental state. He will display a pseudo personality should one challenge his cultic beliefs. His ability to think critically has been severely diminished by brainwashing, hypnosis, and coercive handling techniques. There are many academic texts on this phenomenon that detail the ways in which Scientologists are controlled. (Dr. Singer and Dr. Langone's works are good sources of information.)
11. Scientologists generally shun conventional medicine, believing illnesses are psychosomatic. To them, illness is a sign of weakness or failure, and they are inclined to treat it with auditing (though chiropractic and treatment with vitamins and herbs may be recommended as well). Since all illness are psychosomatic in the eyes of a Scientologist, members believe that everything from dyslexia to HIV/AIDS can be cured by Dianetics. (They even believe homosexuality can be "cured" by Scientology which outlaws homosexuality. Hubbard insisted that the Emotional Tone Level of a homosexual is "covert hostility": "they are back stabbers, each and every one." (3) )
12. In Scientology, it is considered immoral to do something for nothing. The starving and crippled are seen as living out self-generated misfortune. Coupling this to Hubbard's philosophy of exchange, Scientologists do not usually give to charity, except to Scientology causes, or in the interest of public relations. (4) One should therefore not expect Beck to participate as much in charitable events, such as Neil Young's Bridge School Concert or Willie Nelson's Farm Aid, as he did previously. Beck will most likely never again donate another song to KGSR's (Austin Texas) Broadcast News, a fund raiser for the SIMS Foundation which financially assists musicians in obtaining psychotherapy and psychiatric assistance. (Beck donated a performance of "Cold Brains" to the Vol. 8 10th anniversaty edition in 2002 and thus helped raise over $200,000 for SIMS. Beck may have not realized what the charity represented, because helping anyone obtain psychiatric care would be considered an act of treason towards Scientology.) In 1997, Beck played for a benefit concert to raise money for Cure Autism Now. In publicity at the time, it was said that Ross Harris's son, Banjo, was autistic and that Beck was his godfather. More recently Ross Harris was putting together a Bruce Haack tribute, the sales of which would also benefit Cure Autism Now. Beck recorded "Funky Little Song" for the album. It was due out in September 2004, but it hasn't been released as of this writing. Is it possible that Beck's renewed commitment to Scientology and its beliefs is responsible for the delay? It is possible that Beck's participation in the Asian tsunami relief concerts is a public relations move for Scientology just as Tom Cruise's presence was used in "9/11" fund raisers to promote the cult.
13. All Scientologists are pressured to recruit. Any non-cult musicians and recording personnel who work with Beck should be prepared for recruitment pressure. In a 2004 interview with a German magazine, Adam Green of the Moldy Peaches admitted that Beck pressured him to visit the Scientology center, but Green declined to join. Beck's mother-in-law, Gay Ribisi, is a top Scientology recruiter. She received recognition in 2003 as a Power FSM (Field Staff Member), Scientologist who FAQ says "recruit people using selection slips for Scientology and get a 15% profit of the value of services purchased by their recruits in return." (A Power FSM has gotten at least 100 people either on the Bridge or to take a course to move up the Bridge during a particular year. The Bridge is short for "Bridge to Total Freedom" and represents completing advanced course work.)
14. As a celebrity Scientologist, Beck can receive the free services of the Scientology "slaves"of the Sea Org, the paramilitary division that commands and controls the entire Church of Scientology (members work long hours and sign billion-year contracts). Beck can have his yard maintained, his home cleaned, his meals cooked, his child babysat, etc. for free by Sea Org members. These people work long hours, seven days a week, for little or no pay. If they have children, they see very little of them, sometimes they only see their children for one hour a week. According to the affidavits of ex-Sea Org members, their children are warehoused virtually unattended in crowded, filthy back rooms at Celebrity Centre and elsewhere while their parents work. Their children are seldom held, spoken to, fed good meals, or washed and rarely receive medical care. They are typically not even given toys to play with.
15. The Scientologist's moral views conflict greatly with those of the all major world religions. Scientology glorifies personal wealth, and teaches people that they are not responsible for the condition of the world. (5) Certain basic, Christian values are despised by the Scientologist, who considers them misconceived. Humility is supplanted by self-pride. Searching self-criticism is considered dangerous. Material wealth is a virtue. Charity creates dependence. In Scientology, there is no concept of God, nor of grace. The Scientologist is in every respect a self-made Thetan (being). (6) There are Hubbard teachings that call Jesus a "lover of young boys" and proclaim that Mohammed "invented" the Muslim religion to stimulate trade in his hometown.
A Touchy Subject...
In 2002, not long after Tim Perlich of Now.com tried in vain to question Beck about Scientology, another journalist, Emmanuelle Richard, interviewed Beck for a French publication. During the interview, Richard made an effort to explore Beck's rumored connections to Scientology, and for the first time Beck publicly acknowledged his personal connection to Scientology (as opposed to just having a Scientologist father). Note that Beck is obviously uncomfortable and defensive. Again he claims to have been raised Jewish and says his parents "were" Scientologists, his first acknowledgment in an interview of his mother's involvement in Scientology. (Beck's reference to "problems with it" in France relates to the fact that Scientology is in trouble in France and several other European countries and is regarded as a public health threat.and L Ron Hubbard was convicted of Fraud in France in 1978. And from the French Embassy webpage HERE: "Scientologist sentenced The former head of the Church of Scientology in Lyon, Jean-Jacques Mazier was sentenced on November 22 to 18 months in jail on charges of manslaughter and fraud in a case stemming from a follower's suicide. Eight defendants linked to the organization were acquitted while suspended sentences were handed down to 14 others.)
E.R: Are you Jewish? AND scientologist?
Lubow's experience illustrates one of the main pitfalls encountered by journalists who interview celebrity Scientologists: evasion. Another pitfall that trips up journalists can be seen in Neil Straus's interview with Tom Cruise in Rolling Stone (September 2, 2004). Why Rolling Stone refuses to present a broader view of Scientology is anyone's guess. The magazine has never mentioned the death of Lisa McPherson, a story covered by all other major print media. In his interview with Cruise, Straus failed to point out that if Cruise's mother had refused to become a cult member, she could have risked being cut off from her children and grandchildren. He also didn't mention that she would be eventually forced to renounce her Catholic faith and learn that L Ron Hubbard teaches that Jesus Christ was a pedophile. The author didn't mention (and perhaps failed to check) that Scientology's Delphian school is not accredited with the State of California. He failed to observe that Cruise's niece was "going to work for the family" after graduation because, with her unorthodox education, she cannot attend any accredited university in the United States.
Other areas a journalist should explore
There are people in Beck's life who have known Beck personally or worked with him who may provide information that can resolve contradictions or contribute to your understanding of Beck and his involvement in Scientology . Here are some sources you might pursue:
Any ex-Scientologist, especially from the Los Angeles area, could have information about Beck's early life. It's not unlikely that ex-Scientologists in the LA area could have helpful information, because the Scientology community there is not that large, and it is insular and tight-knit.
Leigh Limon should be encouraged to tell her side of the story. Bear in mind that she may have been forced to sign a non-disclosure statement when she and Beck broke up. (There is no record of her being a Scientologist.)
Members of bands who toured with Beck, like the Flaming Lips and Dashboard Confessional, may provide interesting information about the control Scientology holds over Beck. According to their interviews, the Lips did not have a happy tour with Beck in 2002. Dashboard Confessional quit mid-tour for unknown reasons while opening for Beck in 2003.
Former band members and others who have played with Beck may offer insight as well, if they were not forced to sign non-disclosure clauses.
One potential resource is the anti-folk musicians Beck knew in New York when he lived there, who could provide insight into those years. For example, Paleface, who played at local venues with Beck for pocket change, was quoted on the Velvet Rope music board as saying, Yes he (Beck) slept on my sofa and we played in the subways for change to buy beer, but when he accidently pulled money from his other pocket to buy beer a wad of crisp $100's fell out.
Other information could be gathered from anyone who is not a Scientologist who knew Beck between 1989 and 2001. Outside of this time frame, he probably had little close contact with non-Scientologists. His activities with non-Scientologists today are most likely curtailed and closely watched by his handlers.
In conclusion...
Remember that is it your professional obligation to present a balanced story in your journalistic endeavors. You should treat Beck's misadventure for what is: Beck has succumbed to a cult, not a religion. The Church of Scientology is harmful and criminal and practices mind control on its members. While you may not be able to cover Beck's Scientology experience if you interview him, you can add information about Scientology to your article. The public wants to read about the real problems with Scientology, and your piece, if truthful, will sell. Razor magazine's coverage of the Lisa McPherson murder was one of their biggest-selling issues ever. Time magazine had a similar experience with their exposee in 1991. History with other critical journalistic work shows the Church of Scientology will most likely threaten you, so be in touch with your publisher's legal team before going to press.
Some may argue that Beck's personal life is his own business, but Beck is no longer a private person. He is selling a product to the public. The public should not be misled about what their dollars are used for. Many fans would not be supportive of Beck using their money to fund the Scientology's defense in the trial for Lisa McPherson's death. Consumers have a right to this knowledge and to decide for themselves if they want their money, directly or indirectly, to the Church of Scientology.
A message to those who care about Beck...
(Or anyone they care about who is a Scientologist)
It is a normal, compassionate response for Beck's friends and fans to want him to get out of Scientology, once they've learned what it's really about.. However, any attempts to persuade Beck (or any Scientologist) to leave Scientology should be left to a professional exit counselor. Trying to force a person out of Scientology could be regarded by the courts as kidnapping and/or a violation of his civil rights. Beck or any Scientologist must make the decision to leave the cult on his own. The best way for a lay person to behave around an active Scientologist is to be supportive of him as a human being (but do not say you support Scientology!) and keep the lines of communication open. Question beliefs in a neutral way to open up the Scientologist's mind to independent thinking or doubt. Avoid criticizing Scientology around the active member. This will only make him defensive. Always tell the cult member how much he means to you, and tell him you and others will support him should he choose to leave Scientology. His fellow Scientologists are telling him that he will fail miserably and maybe even die if he leaves. A Scientologist knows that if he leaves the COS, any family members who are still in the cult will be ordered to disconnect from him, and he believes that means he will never see the Scientologists in his family again. As a non-member and a friend, you must be kind and supportive to him so he knows he will not be alone if he walks away from the cult.
added 14 NArch 2006
under the May 12 area, a snippet from Thom Yorke's (lead singer of Radiohead) visit to the official radiohead message board is noted. Yorke is asked if he is friends with Beck. Yorke replies, "yes through Nigel ~Godrich. but we[Godrich and Yorke] hold up our hands and say NO! when Mr Scientoligy [Beck] wanders in, strictly C of E as we[Godrich and Yorke] are.."
(1) Jon Atack, A Piece of Blue Sky, (Lyle Stuart Books: New York,1990), p. 388.
(2) Atack, p. 384.
(3) Atack, p. 384.
(4) Atack, p. 384.
(5) Atack, p. 385.
(6) Atack, p. 383.
Charles Manson page:
Charles Manson page:There was a Scientology E-meter at the Spahn Ranch - Ex-member Dennis Erlich says that Manson took the introductory courses as LA Scientology Organization, and he was there when they were 'vetting' their files to make any record of this dissappear.
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GREENVILLE, Ill. - Greenville College's sophomore Alan Hollingsworth (Monticello, Ill./Monticello) has been named the SLIAC men's cross country runner of the week for the week of Sept. 20-26.
Hollingsworth ran a personal best time of 26:16 at the Brissman/Lundeen Invitational hosted by Augustana University (Ill.). He beat his previous personal best by 1:45 and placed 49th out of 375 total runners competing on the 8K course.
This is Hollingsworth's first award this season

subset: commoncrawl


text:
Sorry, the page you requested was not found. Please check the URL for proper spelling and capitalization.
If you're having trouble locating a destination on GF!,
try visiting the GF home page or look through a list of GF services.
Also, you may find what you're looking for if you try searching below.


text:
AMMAN- Torrential rains swept through desert Jordan for a second straight day on Tuesday, sparking widespread flooding, as severe weather swept through the Middle East, including war-torn Syria.
In northern Jordan, relief workers distributing aid to Syrian refugees were injured in a "stampede" in a camp where hundreds of tents have been destroyed by the rains.
In Israel and the Palestinian territories, heavy rain continued to fall on and temperatures dropped ahead of possible snowfall, while Egyptian authorities closed the port of Alexandria for a third straight day due to severe winds.
The main road between the Jordanian capital and the northern city of Zarqa was closed as sections were swamped by up to a metre (three feet) of water, and flash floods overwhelmed Amman's drainage system, forcing the closure of most road tunnels and gridlocking traffic.
At the Zaatari camp on the border with Syria, "refugees started to push each other as they ran towards aid workers. They hurled stones at each other and there was a stampede, which hurt some aid workers," Anmar Hmud, a government spokesman for refugee affairs, told AFP.
"At least one of the aid workers was taken to hospital," he added.
The incident occurred as aid workers were helping some of the 62,000 Syrians sheltering in the camp, where two days of heavy rains have destroyed hundreds of tents.
Jordan says it is hosting more than 290,000 Syrians who have fled the devastating conflict in its northern neighbour.
Syria's met office predicted abundant rainfall for the next two days, as heavy rains and wind hit several parts of the country, and a buildup of snowfall in Damascus made some roads unusable, the interior ministry said.
In neighbouring Lebanon, a day after a six-month-old baby was swept away when a flash flood hit a Bedouin encampment, the storms continued across the country.
Roads in Beirut were flooded and schools were closed nationwide on both Tuesday and Wednesday.
The Damascus-Beirut road was forced to shut and rains caused widespread damage to farmland.
"Lebanon hasn't seen a storm like this in a dozen years," said Abdel Karim Damaj, a weather expert at Beirut International Airport.
Elsewhere in the region, Jerusalem was bracing for possible snowfall over night Wednesday to Thursday, as temperatures dropped and heavy rain continued to fall on Israel and the Palestinian territories.
Tel Aviv's main transport artery reopened on Tuesday evening after being closed due to flooding since the morning, causing large traffic jams. Trains were out of service for much of the day.
Streets in many West Bank cities were flooded, and the Palestinian Authority ordered schools which were back from half-term to take Wednesday and Thursday off.
Israel's met office said this winter was set to be the wettest in a decade.
Egypt closed the port of Alexandria for a third day in a row as a precaution, as high winds battered the Mediterranean city after torrential rains caused power cuts.
Further west, 10 fishermen were reported missing off the coast of the desert town of Marsa Matruh, and searches to find them were being hampered by the weather conditions, local media reported.
Views: 132
Worst Storm in 10 years
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Celebrating illustration, design, cartoon and comic art of the mid-20th century.
Wednesday, March 12, 2008
John Ruge: an "unbridled enthusiasm for good drawing"
"Jack was one of my drawing teacher at Parsons School of Design in the late seventies early eighties. He was an excellent draftsman and genuinely nice guy. He always came prepared for class with a whole portfolio of drawings, both anatomical and artistic as well as gags he'd worked on."
"He'd arrive early to class (I think punctuality was important to him based on the number of watches he wore, one or two on each wrist) pin his drawings on the wall and we would talk about them during the model breaks."
"He had a very respectful way of teaching. He would walk around the class with tracing paper and if he saw an issue he wanted to address he would never draw on your drawing. I loved to watch the master draftsman know just what line was out of place and confidently demonstrate with tracing paper where your drawing had veered off coarse....and if you did a good drawing, he couldn't contain his enthusiasm, "Wow! thats a bute!"
"Among his own drawings that he brought to class were large newsprint drawings discussing the anatomy of hands or other lessons with beautifully drawn figures. He would allow the students to put their initials on the corner to claim them. I had a few of these drawings."
"In the more than twenty five years since I was his student, I've moved a few times, but I always brought those drawings with me and looked at them often. One was a whole page of women's hands doing a range of tasks like holding a fan or piece of chalk. The other was figures lifting heavy loads. A man loaded down with two pieces of heavy luggage and an analysis of what that did to his posture and his gate. in comparison, an asian woman carrying a heavy load on a flexible pole. The pole would bounce lifting the weight enabling her to step instead of shuffle. I've never tested the theory, subway doors and crowded sidewalks prohibit me from doing so, but his draftsmanship made you believe the weight on the guy and the lack thereof on the girl."
"He would bring in his gag illustrations and pin them up along with the instructional newsprint drawings. It was a real treat to see that as a student because it was a practical application for good draftsmanship. His gag cartoons were not cartoony, they were beautiful studies in draftsmanship and anatomy that just happened to be funny, (take a close look at his hands) ...and although he was most remembered for his beautiful women (because of the publications he worked for) he could do a biting unflattering drawing as well. Ronald Reagan was president then and I remember a marvelous watercolor he pinned on the wall of Reagan, his head was an open crimson wound that tapered down in gathered pleats of flesh tucked into his collar."
"The thing I remember most about Jack was his unbridled enthusiasm for good drawing, his respectful manner of teaching with tracing paper and his great skill as a draftsman.. He was very generous to the students and in return they loved him."
"...Thanks for bringing back the memory of a great artist and wonderful teacher, Jack Ruge."
My thanks to Larry for sharing his fond memories of Jack Ruge with us. Larry has promised to send along those classroom drawings of Ruge's next time he can get at them -- we'll look forward to seeing them!
My John Ruge Flickr set.
7 comments:
You bet, Mark - I sure do remember. I will probably dip into Playboy very occassionally as I did today and during 'Avant-garde week' ... but a lot of Playboy cartoonists are well documented elsewhere so I'll probably only ever feature the more obscure ( but worthy ) artists. :-)ReplyDelete
Thanks for the post. Ruge is one of my all-time favorites!ReplyDelete
I love John Ruges illustrations. This is a great example of the importance of learning good draftsmanship... not necessarily so that you can draw realistically, but so that you can draw any way you choose, and it will still be well drawn. When I started art school in the late 50's, good draftsmanship, particularly in illustration classes, was a must. And years later, art classes got watered down, and academic drawing was eclipse by "computer mania". Renderings began to look like rendered slides... traced and painted. That's the beauty of Ruges illustrations, they have character. He simplifies and leaves out what is not important, and emphasizes what is. He makes it a charming personal statement, because he understands the importance of good draftsmanship.ReplyDelete
I never understood how someone who calls themselves an illustrator, figure or portrait painter, doesn't get excited about draftsmanship, and the process of getting it right! It is the underlying foundation of all great illustrators and painters... even Picasso. A structure is only as stable as its foundation and framing... and Ruges delightful illustrations are rock solid.
Tom Watson
Not only gorgeous cartoons, but funny as well. I always appreciate the sophistication of those dames andReplyDelete
their off the cuff sayings. But honestly, the one with the director
advising the amply endowed miss to
"let the dress" do the acting is just priceless. Marvelous stuff. Was away on vacation last week, and am now playing catch up.


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Linked by Thom Holwerda on Fri 4th Nov 2011 23:05 UTC
"Google is considering ditching the U.S. Chamber of Commerce out of frustration with its support for legislation that would force Internet companies to police websites that peddle pirated movies and fake Viagra. The rumblings of a defection - a potentially serious blow to one of Washington's most powerful lobbies - come weeks after Yahoo left the Chamber in October, largely over its support of Sen. Patrick Leahy's online piracy bill, the PROTECT IP Act." What, the US Chamber of Commerce is a front for the pharmaceutical and content industries? I'm shocked.
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RE[3]: So What
by judgen on Sun 6th Nov 2011 02:16 UTC in reply to "RE[2]: So What"
i dislike the usage of the words "hate crime" or "hate speech" as it is not universal. In sweden a black person can not be sentenced for "hate crime" unless it is against gay people. Black gay people can pretty much get away with any of those "crimes". I just say crime is crime no matter whom you are doing it against and race, gender, ethnicity, sexual orientation does NOT matter.
RE[4]: So What
by zima on Sun 6th Nov 2011 17:43 in reply to "RE[3]: So What"
Is this somehow related to this Nordic cinematographic masterpiece? http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Gayniggers_from_Outer_Space (and to be fair, I wouldn't blame you if, additionally, you just don't personally like the basic premise of its plot )
RE[5]: So What
by dylansmrjones on Sun 6th Nov 2011 17:47 in reply to "RE[4]: So What"


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Mandarin Oriental, Geneva is the perfect venue for an unforgettable occasion. From intimate cocktail parties to lavish wedding receptions, we have the rooms, the menus and the expertise for special events, whatever their size.
Every couple deserves at least one truly magical day. At Mandarin Oriental we specialise in making dreams come true by taking care of every aspect of your wedding.
We want to make sure that every detail of your special day lives up to your expectations. That's why we'll give you the services of a personal wedding co-ordinator to oversee all details up to and including your wedding day.
Catering is one of the most important things you'll need to think about. Our head chef is happy to meet with you to discuss ideas, which he will develop into a tailor-made menu just for you. And, with the city's finest wine cellar at his disposal, our sommelier will be available to recommend the perfect drinks to complement your chosen menu.
The Swiss know a thing or two about patisserie. Our pastry chef is one of the best in Geneva and would be delighted to design your cake.
We enjoy fantastic relationships with a number of external suppliers and will be happy to recommend everything from the perfect photographer to the most beautiful wedding stationery. Our talented in-house florist is an expert in crafting beautiful arrangements and will work with you to create wonderful designs for your day.
We can engage our toastmaster to help with the smooth running of your party. He will welcome and introduce guests on arrival, ensure people receive their placement cards at the reception, announce dinner, announce the arrival of the bride and groom and introduce the speeches.
With Weddings and Honeymoons by Mandarin Oriental, couples who wed at our hotel receive a complimentary honeymoon night and other special benefits at another Mandarin Oriental hotel in the Group.
Our service is legendary, so it's no wonder that we have hosted events for high-profile guests who have chosen us to help them celebrate in style. From birthday parties and anniversary dinners to engagements and graduations, we have organised almost every type of celebration. We can also arrange special entertainment including magicians, a jazz trio and classic singers.
Please provide us the details of your wedding or event and our dedicated specialists will contact you with a proposal that meets your requirements.


text:
Research Abstract
Current work in my lab focuses on the transcriptional regulatory pathways that regulate chondrocyte formation and maturation, elucidation of how mechanical loading regulates gene expression in the joint, identification of target proteins to block progression of osteoarthritis, and the regulation of DNA methylation by Wnt and FGF signals.
Chondrogenesis: Most of the bony tissue in vertebrates is initially molded upon a cartilage template which undergoes a stereotypic maturation process where immature chondrocytes undergo maturation, hypertrophy and apopotosis and are replacement by bone tissue; a process termed endochondral ossification. In contrast articular chondrocytes remain immature and do not normally undergo endochondral ossification. We are studying how the initial cartilage template is induced and are trying to elucidate how chondrocytes "decide†whether to undergo maturation, which leads to endochondral ossification, or remain immature, as in the articular cartilage of our joints. The induction of chondrogenesis in the embryo is regionally controlled by the combination of Shh, Wnt, FGF, and BMP signals. We are studying how these signaling molecules regulate the expression of the prochondogenic transcription factor Sox9 by controlling the epigenetic landscape of this locus, how cell shape and the polymerization state of the actin cytoskeleton controls chondrocyte induction and Sox9 gene expression, and the transcriptional circuits that regulate the process of cartilage maturation, endochondral ossification, and maintenance of articular cartilage. In addition, we are both identifying new transcription factors that control chondrocyte maturation and studying how the activity of these transcription factors are regulated by signaling molecules. Finally, we have recently identified a stem cell population for articular cartilage and are trying to elucidate the parameters that control the proliferation and maintenance of the articular cartilage.
Regulation of gene expression by mechano-signaling: Lubricin, is a secreted proteoglycan encoded by the Prg4 locus, that is abundantly expressed by superficial zone articular chondrocytes and has been noted to be both sensitive to mechanical loading and to protect against the development of osteoarthritis. We have recently demonstrated that Fluid Flow Shear Stress (FFSS) increases secretion of extracellular PGE2, PTHrP and ATP (by epiphyseal chondrocytes) which together engage both PKA and Ca++ regulated signaling pathways, that work in combination to promote CREB-dependent induction of Prg4, specifically in superficial zone articular chondrocytes. Because running and Fluid Flow Shear Stress both boost Prg4 expression in a COX-2-dependent fashion, our results suggest that mechanical motion may induce Prg4 expression in the superficial zone of articular cartilage by engaging the same signaling pathways activated in vitro by Fluid Flow Shear Stress that promote CREB-dependent gene expression in this tissue.
Regulation of DNA methylation by Wnt and FGF signals: The formation of cartilage is restricted to the core of the limb bud mesenchyme by ectodermal Wnts, which can irreversibly silence expression of the prochondrogenic transcription factor Sox9. In contrast, fibroblast growth factor (FGF) signals from the apical ectodermal ridge maintain the competence of chondrogenic precursors to undergo chondrogenesis once these cells go out of range of ectodermal Wnt signals. We have found that Wnt signals induce both a repressive chromatin mark (H3K27me3) and DNA methylation over the Sox9 promoter and that Wnt-induced irreversible silencing of the Sox9 gene requires DNA methylation of this locus, which is specifically countered by FGF signals. We are studying how these two crucial signaling pathways antagonistically regulate DNA methylation of both Sox9 and other loci during development.


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Why not invite friends and family to join you at home for the final of this year's Eurovision Song Contest? Genuine enthusiasm for this eccentric annual event is a prerequisite, so make sure your guests are fellow supporters – this is not a night for the cynical nor the world-weary. With a room full of fans, the atmosphere will be set for an evening of good-natured rivalry. Here's how to capitalise on the theme and guarantee an enjoyable time.
The venue demands a television set or a projector, positioned to ensure everyone in the room has a clear view of the proceedings. Bean bags or cushions scattered across the floor are useful ways to maximise space. Tidy away breakable items, provide low tables for drinks and snacks, and ensure the freezer is well stocked with ice. The contest is quite a marathon, so you'll need plenty of survival rations. This is a relaxed occasion where flamboyant décor is acceptable: festoon your room with flags, bunting and balloons, and don't forget the party poppers for celebrating the results. Eurovision is the world's most-watched non-sporting TV event, which is reason alone to join in on the action.
Organise a sweepstake
With the aid of a printer and a pair of scissors, it's easy to divide the European entries amongst your guests. Keep a note of who draws which song and country, and ask for a small donation from each entrant: The Winner Takes It All at the end of the night! This adds to the enjoyably competitive edge both on-screen as the contest airs and within the party.
Prepare international snacks
With so many nations taking part in the contest, there are endless choices when it comes to serving refreshments. As this year's host city is Stockholm, why not go for a Nordic influence and serve shots of vodka with Swedish meatballs? Side dishes of lingonberry jelly will add authenticity. Pickled herring is another favoured delicacy, which is often scrolled into rollmops, or gravadlax, cured salmon soused in dill and mustard. Saturday is known as a day for indulging in sweets in Sweden, so lay out some sugary treats too.
Plan standby entertainment for voting periods
A playlist of previous winning songs can be turned on when there's a lag in on-screen proceedings, allowing for a sing-a-long. Guests may enjoy showcasing their own talents on a karaoke machine; ABBA hits are always popular. For an opportunity to impress with nuggets of historical knowledge, try creating a quiz using some of the curious facts and trivia accumulated since 1956 when Eurovision began. Drinking games are also a stalwart of the celebrations – just make sure the rules are as unexpected and entertaining as the contestants!
Engel & Völkers are world-class estate agents represented in 36 countries. Our offices are located across Europe and beyond, with experts available to provide you with professional help and guidance in property acquisition and selling.


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A recent op ed piece by State Sen. Jeff Denham, who chairs the Senate Ag Committee, sounded the alarm bell for California's "shrinking farmland that's being paved over at an astonishing rate. California is losing about 50,000 to 100,000 acres of valuable farmland per year,' said Denham, who represents the 12th Senate District, which includes Stanislaus, Merced, Madera, San Benito and Monterey counties.
"At that rate," he warned, "we could see the end of some of America's most productive regions in my children's lifetime. Like the orange groves of Anaheim, California farming could be a memory of the past, replaced by asphalt and concrete."
Senator Denham's concerns aren't new, of course, but they come at a time when there are also questions surrounding the alfalfa industry. In the September issue of CAFA News, Seth Hoyt of the USDA National Ag Statistics Service in Sacramento wrote that, "From a practical standpoint, hay acres need to increase to service the large number of dairy cows in California, the alfalfa hay industry's main consumer." Acreage has dropped in the last two years, with 2005 showing a surprising decline at 1,020,000 acres versus 1,050,000 in 2004.
Given record hay prices in 2005, it's logical to assume that alfalfa will attract more attention in many areas of the state. There are indicators that the fall planting season will be a strong one if Mother Nature cooperates. Last year's early rainfall no doubt cancelled out a significant number of acres intended to be planted to alfalfa. Based on feedback from several sources, including seed companies, alfalfa acreage will rebound in 2006.
The $64,000 question, of course, is how many acres and how will it impact the market? Given California's position as the No. 1 dairy state, and with continuing growth in other western states such as Idaho, it's more than likely that high-test hay will be in strong demand even with a significant jump in acreage.
Senator Denham's op ed piece was written after he chaired a Senate Ag Committee hearing in Merced to discuss state, federal, and local efforts "to protect our farmland from vanishing forever." Denham noted that, "With all of our current growth, Ag land preservation programs are, and will be put to the test to protect our green fields."
Given the challenge of meeting the needs of California's dairy industry, the alfalfa and forage industry will be "put to the test" more so than most ag commodities.
Annual meeting in Visalia
The annual California Alfalfa and Forage Symposium is back in the San Joaquin Valley again. Visalia is the site for the 2005 Symposium and CAFA will host an annual meeting breakfast for members and non-members. The breakfast meeting starts at 6:30 a.m. on the second day of the Symposium, Dec. 14. Tickets for the breakfast will be available at the CAFA table in the exhibition hall.
The pre-Symposium tour takes place Dec. 12 and the symposium program kicks off the morning of Dec. 13. First-day sessions include "Industry Trends and Environmental Issues," pest management, and high quality forage production for dairy systems. The main session for the second day of the symposium is forage quality.
Complete details on this year's symposium are available on the UC Workgroup's Web site, http://www.alfalfa.ucdavis.edu.


text:
Directory Listing
Added src_unpack() function, which takes care of patches, dummy_mk of subdirs, and replace termcap with ncurses.
Make use of pmake instead of bsdmake.
Splitted mk stuff from freebsd-related vars.
Renamed freebsd-utils eclass to bsdmk, updated all the ebuilds, remove src_install and src_compile functions where aren't needed. Remove telnetd and rsh stuff. Updated deps.
Avoid removing complete sources when using dummy_mk, something other can include them directly, just use a fake Makefile.
Added support for profile useflag to enable/disable profile stuff on freebsd-* packages. Removed BASE_SRC_URI as is not needed anymore.
Added dummy_mk function to remove directories.
Use bsdmake command (alias) to build freebsd-packages.
Removed as it's fixed in main tree.
Added cron eclass fixed as per bug #92591.
Added SYS and INCLUDE variables for freebsd-headers.
Remove -Werror on commandline.
Moved all the package variables into freebsd-utils. Regeneated all the manifests and digests.
Cleanup: removed lock/unlock-file and recursive-make functions
Added a function that makes easier to support USE flags. Closes bug #84898
lock gawk to 3.1.4
fixed broken SRC_URIs
Use * in for loops instead of running ls.
Fixed CVS Header.
Commented freebsd-kernel-unpack-function. This function will be used in the future
Initial release
|ViewVC Help
|Powered by ViewVC 1.1.20


text:
Mount Washington Alpine Resort is proud to help support and promote these local ski groups and clubs. These clubs provide excellent coaching, skills, fun social events and on and off season training programs. Please visit them and learn more about what they have to offer.
Vancouver Island Society for Adaptive Snowsports
Mount Washington's award winning adaptive skiing program is made up entirely of volunteers and is available every day. Offering programs for both Alpine and Nordic skiing.
Mount Washington Ski Club
The Mount Washington Ski Club is a non-profit society. Our aim is to provide a high quality and affordable competitive ski program.
Vancouver Island Riders (VI Riders)
Professional coaching for snowboarding in the disciplines of Slopestyle, Big air, Boardercross, and Rails.
Section 8 Snowsport Institute
Section 8 Snowsport Institute runs ski instructor courses, snowboard instructor courses and mountain leadership training programs that are taught at Mount Washington.
Vancouver Island Biathlon Club
The Vancouver Island Biathlon Club is a biathlon club based out of Mt. Washington, on Vancouver Island. Biathlon is an Olympic sport that combines the physical challenge of cross country skiing with small bore rifle marksmanship. Our club boasts one of the best, fully-automated ranges on Vancouver Island.
Vancouver Island Mountain Sports Society
Mount Washington has been the official training site of the Canadian National Cross County Ski Teams. Our Resort and community want to help make your Olympic dreams a reality.
Strathcona Nordics
The Strathcona Nordics are Vancouver Island's Cross Country Ski Club. We are a non profit society dedicated to skier development and the promotion of the sport of cross country skiing for fun, fitness, recreation and health.
Mount Washington Freestyle Club
The Mount Washington Freestyle Club offers coaching in all aspects of Freestyle skiing (moguls, big air, terrain park & 1/2 pipe).


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sjshah needed a new print or packaging design and created a contest on 99designs.
A winner was selected from 60 designs submitted by 11 freelance designers.
Amari Medical
We are Medical Spa specializing in anti-aging and preventative medicine. Periodically throughout the year we have botox and juvederm days where patients can learn about the treatments, receive incentives and enroll in our programs. We are looking for a poster that entices our clients to want to learm more.
We are also looking for a poster for the holiday season to inquire about our specials.
Our audience are individuals that are looking to feel and look better. Middle class to upper middle class females and few males. Ages 25-65.
I would like to have 2 posters 18" by 24" One that Says: Glam up for the Holiday's; with a gold border, our logo underneath the title, in the upper right hand corner and lower left hand corner poinsetta flowers in gold, background in a pale blue, with some barely visable snow flakes. I want it to say underneath the logo on the left hand side Our Holiday packages will have you sparkling in time for your events. Ask an Amari team member for more information. We wish you a beautiful holiday season; on the right hand side a full body and face picture, see istock phote numbers 8963351,4989824, 10424320. Please visit our website at http://www.amarimedical.com to get a better idea of our presentation.
The second poster will be Amari Presents Botox and Juvederm; I would like it to say: Eliminate those wrinkles and folds and look years younger naturally. Ask about Today's special offer, Please incorporate our logo with Botox and Juvederm. Light purple background. Attached please find 2 before and after pictures with both botox and juvederm logos
Attached please find our logo, pictures and other logos


text:
Hi guys,
Some of you have been waiting for more episodes of Dong Yi and Pink Lipstick and that's exactly what we have for you today! Dong Yi #27-46 and Pink Lipstick 100-132 has already been launched to premium members. Free users have access to 4 episodes/week.
We hope you're continually enjoying the k-dramas!
Dong Yi traces the tumultuous life of Lady Choi Sook-bin, who was born as a lowly commoner but entered the royal palace to become a royal concubine where she shone ever so brilliantly. The life of her son, who is fathered by King Sook-jong, is also depicted as he transforms into the next king! Lady Choi Sook-bin gingerly and wisely maneuvers through the deadly political infighting in the royal courts in order to survive and protect her son, who was fathered by the king. She raises her son into a well-balanced and educated person though strict discipline!
Pink Lipstick follows Ga-eun, who was a sweet girl, until her turbulent life and three failed marriages finally became too much to bear. Now to exact her revenge on the people that
completely ruined her life – her ex-husband and best friend – she is out on a mission to make them pay dearly for what they did to her – by any means necessary.
*These titles are available in North America
as they say the more the vintage merryweather
Spoiler Alert! Click to show or hide
o god im playing to much tf2
lol that's cool don't really watch much drama though haha
Even though I don't watch to much drama either, I'm thinking of watching some. Maybe Pink Lipstick will inspire me to watch and be introduced to an entirely different culture! xD It looks really interesting and a very attractive girl is always a plus when watching any form of entertainment! lol
Don\'t Be Afraid To Approach Me, Don\'t Fear Me! ~_^ Salutes to Jay Man!
lol Yesh! more Drama!
Gimme Some Food!!
Dong Yi was added to the recently added anime.
Well, it's too late for this. I went and found it else where. But please get Chuno...please.........
Currently learning Korean to be come an English teacher in Korea.


text:
Previously there were two traditional classifications of juvenile
arthritis: the European classification of juvenile chronic arthritis (JCA) and
the American classification of
juvenile rheumatoid arthritis (JRA). Because these
classifications broke down into different categories, European and American
research findings and treatment recommendations were hard to use
In an effort to
improve research and treatment, the International League Against Rheumatism has
devised a unifying set of international criteria, using the term "juvenile
idiopathic arthritis" (JIA). The word "idiopathic" means "of unknown cause."
First proposed in 1995 and later revised in 1997, this classification is
now used by most researchers and health professionals.
The table below summarizes the three
classification systems.
JRA does not include similar types of childhood
arthritis (juvenile ankylosing spondylitis, juvenile psoriatic
Regardless of the classification, children who develop
symptoms before reaching 16 years of age are considered to have juvenile
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Last Revised:
June 5, 2012
Healthwise Staff
Medical Review:
Susan C. Kim, MD - Pediatrics & John Pope, MD - Pediatrics
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text:
In an UltraScreen® auditorium, there's an ultra screen and ultra sound experience. A massive screen size can extend up to three stories tall for maximum viewing. And, with immersive, multidimensional sound, speakers are located all throughout the auditorium allowing guests to experience the movement of sound and feel part of the action.
Available at these theatres
Special Offers
Holiday Classics Retro Series
Celebrate the Holidays with these classic films for only $5!
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Arthur Curry learns that he is the heir to the underwater kingdom of Atlantis, and must step forward to lead his people and be a hero to the world.
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Arthur Curry learns that he is the heir to the underwater kingdom of Atlantis, and must step forward to lead his people and be a hero to the world.


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Monday, 04 March 2013 03:40 PM
The battle over new firearm restrictions intensified in Colorado on Monday as hundreds of gun rights supporters crammed the state Capitol and circled the building with car horns blaring, while inside the husband of former U.S. Rep. Gabrielle Giffords urged lawmakers to pass universal background checks.
Giffords, a former Democratic congresswoman from Tucson, Ariz., was severely wounded in a mass shooting in January 2011 while meeting with constituents.
Colorado has become a focal point in the national debate over what new laws, if any, are needed to prevent gun violence in the wake of recent mass shootings, including an attack at a suburban Denver movie theater last summer — a massacre that brought to mind the Columbine High School shooting of 1999 for many in the state and across the nation.
Lawmakers in the politically moderate state are considering a package of gun control measures, including plans that would limit the size of ammunition magazines and expand background checks to include private sales and online purchases.
Retired astronaut and Navy captain Mark Kelly told lawmakers that he and his wife support the Second Amendment, but he said the right to bear arms shouldn't extend to criminals and the mentally ill.
"When dangerous people get guns, we are all vulnerable," Kelly said.
Kelly has testified before Congress in support of gun control measures.
Gun control opponents say the proposals will not reduce violence. They say lawmakers should focus on strengthening access to mental health services for people who could be dangerous to communities.
The commotion at the Capitol underscored the attention the debate has generated nationally from gun rights groups, such as the National Rifle Association, to victims' families and White House officials.
There were so many people at the statehouse that an audio speaker system was set up outside so dozens of gun rights supporters waiting to testify could follow the hearings.
Several bills before state senators already have cleared the House. And because Democrats control both chambers of the state Legislature, the proposals have a strong chance of passing. The state's Democratic governor, John Hickenlooper, supports magazine limits and expanded background checks. He hasn't indicated whether he supports a proposal that would hold sellers and owners of assault weapons liable for shootings by such firearms.
The package of bills is expected to keep lawmakers at work late into the night.
During a Senate hearing, Kelly compared the different background check requirements for private and retail sales to having two different lines at the airport, one with security and one without.
"Which one do you think the terrorist is going to choose?" he asked.
Gun rights supporters, meanwhile, arrived wearing stickers that read, "I Vote Pro-Gun."
Several dozen people outside the Capitol waved American flags as light snow fell, and a small plane flew overhead carrying a banner with a message for the governor, "HICK: DO NOT TAKE OUR GUNS!"
One of the nation's largest producers of ammunition magazines, Colorado-based Magpul, has threatened to leave the state if lawmakers restrict the size of its products. Its founder said smaller magazines can be easily connected to each other and the company fears it would be legally liable if people were to do that.
Victims who have lost relatives to gun violence say it's time for legislators to take action.
"It's for those who still have children and are going to be attending schools. It's for those who go to church on Sundays. It's for those who go to the mall," said Dave Hoover, the uncle of 18-year-old AJ Boik, one of 12 people killed in the Aurora, Colo., theater shooting.
Senate Republicans have gotten thousands of emails from supporters of the Second Amendment, urging them to vote no on the bills. In one email provided to The Associated Press, one woman wrote to a senator that she worried that lawmakers would be taking freedoms from her children.
"Please don't take even a tiny aspect of their freedom from them by passing legislation that in the end can't stop bad people from making bad decisions," the woman wrote.
Jane Dougherty, whose sister, Mary Sherlach, was a psychologist killed in the shooting rampage at Sandy Hook Elementary School in Newtown, Conn., has been lobbying Colorado lawmakers to pass new gun laws. She said she doesn't understand gun owners who worry the bills are putting a burden on their rights.
When you lose a loved one to gun violence, "your life is never the same," Dougherty said. "All these lives are changed by a gun in the wrong hands. That's the burden, and we can't lose sight of that."
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The TeraFlex suspension kit is one of the best out of the box kits available. It provides improvements in off road performance while maintaining a quality highway ride. The kit includes springs, rear sway bar links, rear trackbar bracket, bumpstops, shocks and all necessary hardware required for installation. The kit is ideal for all TJ owners that want both an off- road and highway ready vehicle. Fits all Wrangler models including the Unlimited and Rubicon.
What is TeraFlex? A suspension company? Sure, but not just any suspension company. TeraFlex is a Jeep Wrangler suspension company. TeraFlex engineers enjoy coming up with products for one of the most engineered vehicles on the market. Interchangeable, dependable and durable - that is where TeraFlex comes in. TeraFlex picks up where Jeep left off to make Wranglers even better. Teraflex prides itself on striving for perfection in every aspect of product manufacturing and design. TeraFlex delivers the quality that hardcore off-road enthusiasts demand. Shop TeraFlex Now


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Senior Duncan Grew played one of the best matches of his career as he beat Shaun Sumner, who had currently been unbeaten in conference play. Monday was Morton's last home match as he fought hard losing a close first set 7-6 and fell short in the second 6-2. The other two wins came from freshman James Schroeder and senior Dustin Yager. Schroeder beat Romulus Teague 6-3,6-3 and Yager cruised 6-1, 6-4 over Charley Whiteley.
The Cobras next matches come at the CVAC tournament this weekend in
Shaun Sumner/ Ricardo Velazquez (LMC) def. Esteban Teran/ James Schroeder (CC) 8-2
Alex Mojski/
Tim Morton/ Tyson Thompson (CC) def. Blair Propert/ Charley Whiteley (LMC) 8-5
Alex Mojski (LMC) def. Tim Morton (CC) 7-6, 6-2
Ricardo Velazquez (LMC) def. Esteban Teran (CC) 6-2, 6-2
James Schroeder (CC) def.
Blair Propert (LMC) def. Tyson Thompson (CC) 6-3, 6-1
Dustin Yager (CC) def. Charley Whiteley (LMC) 6-1, 6-4


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Dutch Style & Sensibility from Nuna
One of the best parts about ABC is seeing new or new-to-the-US companies and one of the most exciting this year was Netherlands-based Nuna. The designs are smart and thoughtful and the aesthetics are sparsely beautiful.
The first three products they're bringing to the North American market are:
ZAAZ chair: The ZAAZ begins life as a high chair (with a 5-point harness) and ends as...just a chair. It accommodates up to to 220 lbs! The tray is removable so a baby or child can be pulled right up to the table if you wish. The footrest folds down for older kids and the height is fully adjustable.
LEAF baby seat: This chair, whose shape resembles a leaf, is somewhere between a bouncy chair and a swing. It has no batteries or sounds, but if you pull it in one direction, the chair will gently swing back and forth for about three minutes. It's a nice compromise for parents who don't want electronic gizmos, but would like some movement. But it may require too much, ahem, babysitting if you're looking for constant movement. The top fabric removes easily for laundering.
SENA (and SENA mini) travel crib: The best features of this crib (or "cot" in Euro lingo) are the one-handed folding strap and how easily it converts to an easier-to-reach bassinet height. I'm a fan of the simple, gender neutral modern style which I'm dubbing "sophisticated sporty."
The ZAAZ, LEAF and SENA are available for pre-order and will ship by January 1st. Coming next (not shown) are the PEPP stroller and PIPA car seat.
I liked this line from the company's website: "Nuna is a company built on a single promise: that baby products should take some of the work out of being new parents, so people can actually enjoy being new parents." So true...
• More Info: Nuna
(Images: Carrie McBride)


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Privacy Policy
Vodafone Ireland Limited (hereinafter referred to as "Vodafone" "us" "we" or "our") is committed to respecting your privacy and to complying with all applicable data protection and privacy laws.
Increasing innovation and development in mobile telecommunications means that our relationship with our customers is growing closer.
We acknowledge that our customers like to be briefed on what we do with their personal data. Therefore the objective of this policy is to inform you how we handle your personal data.
Vodafone offers a wide range of product and services based on modern technologies including mobile telecommunications and internet (related) services.
This policy applies to all personal data ("Data") in our possession and specifically includes the following: call traffic details, service usage data (e.g. Vodafone Mail/WAP/MMS/live! use) and customer information (including name, address, fixed line number, mobile number, email address and all other contact details).
The content of WAP sites and SMS services (in particular premium rate services) are regulated by RegTel and are not covered by this policy.
1. All Data will be obtained fairly. We will make you aware of all purposes that we intend to use your Data for at the time of collection or will be advised to you prior to use.
2. Data will be accurate and complete and, where necessary, kept up to date.
3. Data will be adequate, relevant and not excessive in relation to the purposes for which it was obtained.
4. All acquisition methods (e.g. customer application forms, competition entries) will have a clear information piece explaining any intended purposes including secondary uses that may not be obvious to you (e.g. if competition entries are intended to be used for marketing purposes this will be clearly advised to you and an appropriate opt out box will be provided).
Use and Disclosure of Information
5. Data will be kept only for clear and legal purposes.
6. All Data will be processed fairly and in keeping with the purposes for which it was obtained.
7. Data will not be used, disclosed or processed in any manner incompatible with the purposes for which it was obtained.
8. Disclosure of Data will only be made to third parties who are our agents or servants acting on our directions. Save as required by law (e.g. criminal investigations) no disclosure of Data will be made to third parties for those third parties' own purposes or use.
9. Under no circumstances will lists of customer data/information (i.e. mailing lists or database information) be disclosed to a third party for that third party's exploitation or use without your express permission. Data may be legitimately given to Vodafone's servants or agents for legitimate purposes as described above. This may include the transfer of data to other jurisdictions for processing. In these circumstances Vodafone will ensure that adequate contractual and technical safeguards are in place to protect your Data. All such processing will take place in full compliance with all applicable laws.
10. If Data has been obtained for a purpose without advising you of other compatible secondary purposes for which it is subsequently to be used, the Data will not be so used without advising you.
11. Where you have agreed to be in included in our directory enquiry list your information will automatically be included in the National Directory Database (NDD) currently hosted by eircom (as nominated by the Commission for Communications Regulation (ComReg)). We will automatically list you as preferring not to receive direct telemarketing from third parties. You may wish to contact us if you would like to amend this preference.
12. Data will be kept for no longer than is necessary for the primary purpose for which it was obtained.
13. Data will be retained for any period required by law.
14. Some Data that is not otherwise subject to retention for normal reasons may need to be retained because of circumstances such as litigation or government investigation.
15. Subject to paragraphs 13 and 14 the following specific retention periods will be followed:
|Type of Record or Information
|Retention Period
|Personal Call Traffic Details(actual record of call, i.e. time of call, caller, number called, duration of call, etc)
|6 months plus current month (max.) for our purposes (as described above and in our general terms and conditions e.g. market research, product development).Interconnect call records (i.e. the records of calls made to or received from other networks) are retained for 12 months for inter-operator billing purposes.For legal purposes call traffic records will be retained for a period of 2 years to comply with State requirements. This retention will take place in a restricted access secure system and will not be used for Vodafone's commercial purposes.
|Business Call Traffic Details(actual record of call, i.e. time of call, caller, number called, duration of call, etc)
|6 months plus current month (max.) for our purposes (as described above and in our general terms and conditions e.g. market research, product development).Interconnect call records (i.e. the records of calls made to or received from other networks) are retained for 12 months for inter-operator billing purposes.For legal purposes call records will be retained for a period of 2 years to comply with State requirements. This retention will take place in a restricted access secure system and will not be used for Vodafone's commercial purposes. Business customers may elect to avail of ancillary services that may retain their call details for longer periods. This retention will only take place where the customer has agreed to the additional service.
|Data Service Usage Details(WAP site visits, web site visits, live! Use, text alert subscriptions)
|6 months plus current month (max.) for our purposes (as described above and in our general terms and conditions). This data does not include content.For legal purposes usage records will be retained for a period of 12 months to comply with State requirements. This retention will take place in a restricted access secure system and will not be used for Vodafone's commercial purposes.
|Cookies are stored on a per session basis only to aid your navigation of our web-sites. Persistent cookies may be set to store display related preferences. Depending on your browser you may also be able to control cookie use by altering your browser settings. See more
|Invoices & Statements
|6 years plus current year for invoices and statements.The call detail element of your standard bill will be severed and deleted after 6 months, as described above.
|Location Based Information for value added services(excluding network traffic data)
|Deleted immediately on completion/ termination of the value added service.
16. What are cookies and how do we use them? Cookies are tiny text files that are stored on your computer, tablet or mobile phone when you visit a website in order to help the website work efficiently, to help us analyse the way our website works and how we can improve it, and to ensure that the website functions to the optimum. We make some use of cookies on vodafone.ie for certain online services (e.g. in My Vodafone and the eShop) where your account details are accessible but for your security these cookies are only used to maintain session details (e.g. logon, site preferences etc.) and do not contain any user-specific details (such as user names, passwords or bank details). We take looking after your details seriously – we're always monitoring and improving how we protect your personal information.
17. How to control cookies in your browser? Depending on the type of browser you are using (e.g. Microsoft Internet Explorer, Mozilla Firefox, Google Chrome, Safari etc.), you may be able to configure your browser so that: (i) you are prompted to accept or reject cookies on an individual basis or (ii) to prevent your browser from accepting any cookies at all. You should refer to the supplier or manufacturer of the web browser for specific details about cookie security. For more details on cookies and how to control them, visit www.aboutcookies.org (please note this link opens a new window or browser tab).
Access to your Information
18. You are entitled to copies of your Data kept by us. Requests should be in writing* and should be addressed to Data Protection Officer, Vodafone Ireland Limited, MountainView, Leopardstown, Dublin 18. Please quote your name, address and your mobile and/or account number. We will take all reasonable steps to confirm your identity before issuing any copy Data.
Information Security
19. Vodafone is constantly reviewing and enhancing its technical, physical and managerial procedures and rules to protect your personal data from unauthorised access, accidental loss and/or destruction. We use industry standard secure sockets layer (SSL) technology, for example, to encrypt sensitive information such as your credit card and other financial information.
20. Please be aware that communications over the Internet, such as emails/webmails, are not secure unless they have been encrypted. Your communications may route through a number of countries before being delivered – this is the nature of the World Wide Web/Internet. Vodafone cannot accept responsibility for any unauthorised access or loss of personal information that is beyond our control.
21. It may be necessary to transfer your personal information to other group companies or service providers located in countries outside of the European Economic Area (EEA)**. This may happen where our servers or suppliers and service providers are based outside of the EEA or where you use our services and products while visiting countries outside of the EEA. The data protection and other laws of these countries may not be as comprehensive as those in Ireland or the EU – in these instances we will take steps to ensure that your privacy rights are respected.
22. If you have any query about Vodafone's data protection policy or practices, please write to: Data Protection Officer, Vodafone Ireland Limited, MountainView, Leopardstown, Dublin 18 or send an email to firstname.lastname@example.com
23. This policy should be read in conjunction with the general terms and conditions of this website and the general terms and conditions that apply to your use of Vodafone's mobile telephony services where more details of the use we make of your data is outlined.
24. We reserve the right to amend or modify this Data Protection Policy at any time in response to changes in applicable data protection and privacy legislation.
* – We may charge a small fee to cover the administration costs. This fee is set by the Data Protection Commissioner from time to time
** The European Economic Area (EEA) currently comprises the Member states of the European Union plus Norway, Iceland and Liechtenstein


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Ballet Theatre Company (BTC), a West Hartford based ballet company and school, will stage its 14th annual magical production of The Nutcracker this season. Since its debut, fans from the tri-state area have made this Nutcracker event part of their holiday tradition. Sabrina Lanza, from New Britain, will join students from Connecticut and professionals from New York City, to dance in the production under the direction of Roman Baca. This is Baca's sixth year directing The Nutcracker at BTC. As a Marine veteran, Baca has incorporated a subtle military spin on this classical ballet story. He has also initiated a Marine Toys For Tots collection at all performances which will support children in the Greater Hartford area.
BTC is also honored to continue its ten-year seasonal tradition of offering a special free Nutcracker performance to over three hundred local children from child advocacy organizations such as Autism Families Connecticut and the Hillcrest Area Neighborhood Outreach Center (HANOC).
BTC will perform The Nutcracker from December 17th through the 20th at the Hoffman Auditorium on the campus of the University of Saint Joseph. For more information and tickets please call 860-570-0440 or visit www. dancebtc.org.
This item was posted by a community contributor. To read more about community contributors, click here.


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Apple Computer
In 2013 Apple launched a new feature in the iTunes Music Store. From that point onwards, one could buy groceries from the Music Store. The first available grocery product was the banana, but soon more products followed. In 2014, Apple got sued by a group of customers who complained their bananas weren't yellow enough. A judge decided Apple had to pay $96.7 million to this group of customers, besides replacing all bananas under warranty.
On April 1st 2016, Apple celebrated its 40th anniversary by introducing an all-new iPod, the Ipod Invisible. The iPod Invisible cannot play music, cannot play videos, and cannot make use of the in 2013 introduced feature of buying groceries in the iTunes Music Store. Apple's CEO Steve Jobs held the iPod Invisible up in his hand during a special press event (one of the 371 events that year), and said: "The iPod Invisible. 50 Cent has one in his latest video. Starting at just $699, available today." Mac zealots went to the Apple Stores en masse to buy the new iPod Invisible, making it a huge success for Apple. Complaints soon emerged about battery life being too short, but to everyone's surprise no one sued Apple this time.
And they also released some new computers and some new operating systems and such.
The Stallman Paradox
In 2010, Richard Stallman, founder of the Free Software Foundation and writer of the GPL, created a major uproar in the industry by announcing he would no longer use computers. His reasoning was well understood by many of his followers: he refused to use computers because BIOS writers refused to release their BIOS code under the GPL. Some die-hard Free software zealots followed Stallman in resorting to use stone tablets and iron chisels.
No one knows who told Stallman that the code to stone and iron wasn't GPL, but in 2012 Stallman is said to have talked to Mother Nature about opening up the code to rock and iron under the GPL. Mother Nature later in an interview said that she simply could not, even if she wanted to: "I may have written stone and iron, and I may own the source code to stone and iron, but I did not create i.e. concrete or all the iron alloys. I would have had to come to an agreement with all the writers of derivative works of stone and iron in order to license them under the GPL. This turned out to be impossible." In any case, Stallman then took off to live in the Scottish Highlands, working on GPL-licensed clones of stone and iron. This turned out to be a greater problem than he anticipated, because he had no GPL tools to actually write on and with.
This is what philosophers now call "The Stallman Paradox". Despite many attempts it has not yet been solved.
On 19th December 2006, the KDE team proudly announced they have reached their life-long goal of having each single pixel on a screen dedicated to a widget of one type or another. It took them years and years of heavy, hard, and though work. KDE achieved the stunning milestone by simply lowering the bar for widget placement. Usefulness? Unimportant. Looks? Who cares. Usability? Not in the dictionary. After two weeks of well-earned rest, the KDE team went to work again on the much-anticipated KDE 4. The main goal of KDE 4 is to remove all the widgets off of the screen again, and thus free some pixels for actual content. KDE's Aaron Seigo (Siego... Seigo... Whatever) was quoted saying: "Well, you gotta do something to keep 'm busy and off the streets." KDE4 is slated for a 2020 release.
On a related note, Seigo also complained about the initial development of KDE 4's volume applet. When he found out nobody videotaped the developer writing the code, he complained about how the development had happened 'behind closed doors'.
- "Iron Chisels, Invisible iPods, Stick Castles, 1/2"
- "Iron Chisels, Invisible iPods, Stick Castles, 2/2"